Single-Person Households Surpass 8 Million for the First Time... Share Reaches Record High of 36.1%

8.05 Million Single-Person Households Last Year
Annual Income Reaches 34.23 Million Won, Up 6.2%

Last year, the number of single-person households exceeded 8 million, marking an all-time high. Their share of all households also surpassed 36%, the highest ever recorded.

Last month, citizens commuting around Gwanghwamun Station in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the "2025 Single-Person Households in Statistics" report released by the National Data Office on December 9, the number of single-person households last year reached 8,045,000, an increase of 216,000 from the previous year. This is the largest figure since related statistics began to be compiled. The proportion of single-person households among all households also reached a record high of 36.1%, up 0.6 percentage points. This is the highest among all household types.

By age group, those aged 70 and above accounted for 19.8%, those aged 29 and under for 17.8%, people in their 60s for 17.6%, and those in their 30s for 17.4%. In terms of gender, women aged 60 and above made up 47.7% of female single-person households, while men aged 39 and under accounted for 39.6% of male single-person households.

By region, Gyeonggi Province had the highest number with 1,775,000 households (22.1%). This was followed by Seoul (20.6%), Busan (6.8%), and South Gyeongsang Province (6.2%). In particular, those aged 29 and under and those in their 30s tended to reside in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Busan. Their types of residence were mainly detached houses (39.0%), apartments (35.9%), and multiplex/multi-family housing (11.7%).

The homeownership rate among single-person households was 32.0%, which is 24.9 percentage points lower than the overall household rate (56.9%). The older the age group, the higher the ownership rate, with those aged 70 and above having the highest at 50.9%, followed by those in their 60s (43.7%) and those in their 50s (38.6%).

The number of single-person households with employed members increased by 426,000 to reach 5.1 million. They were mainly employed in business, personal, and public services (42.3%), wholesale/retail and accommodation/food services (18.1%), and mining/manufacturing (14.2%). The average weekly working hours were 38.2, slightly shorter than the overall average (38.9 hours), and down by 0.3 hours compared to the previous year.

The annual income of single-person households rose by 6.2% from the previous year to 34.23 million won. This is 46.1% of the average annual income of all households (74.27 million won). The average monthly consumption expenditure of single-person households was 1.689 million won, which is 58.4% of the figure for all households (2.89 million won). Their assets totaled 223.02 million won, which is 39.3% of the average assets of all households (566.78 million won).

The main weekend leisure activity for single-person households was watching video content (75.7%). This was followed by resting (73.2%), playing computer games and internet browsing (22.0%), and hobbies and self-development (17.8%). The primary purpose of leisure activities was personal enjoyment, cited by 43.4% of respondents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.