An undated photo, provided by Yonhap News TV, shows a person living alone. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Apr. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Single-person households accounted for 33.6 percent of all households last year, up 3.2 percentage points from three years ago, with more people complaining of loneliness and difficulty dealing with emergencies or sickness alone, data showed Wednesday.
Those who responded positively about living alone without marriage also jumped from 34 percent in 2020 to 47.4 percent last year, according to a survey conducted by the gender ministry on 12,044 households nationwide from June 1 to July 31.
The proportion of people agreeing to a couple living together without marrying also rose to 39.1 percent from 26 percent in 2020, while 47.2 percent viewed divorce or remarriage favorably, a leap from 36 percent three years ago.
Of the one-person households, 62.3 percent were female, and 37.7 percent male, with those in their 70s or above accounting for 27.1 percent of the total, followed by people in their 60s and 50s recording 25.7 percent and 13.6 percent, respectively.
Of those living alone, 42.6 percent said they have difficulty having a balanced diet, while 37.6 percent said they had difficulty responding to emergencies or sickness alone, up from 30.9 percent three years ago. Those who complained of loneliness also jumped from 18.3 percent in 2020 to 23.3 percent last year.
Housing support was cited the most among the measures that single-person households want from the government with 37.9 percent, followed by nursing services with 13.9 percent, and psychological and emotional support with 10.3 percent.
“We will swiftly and flexibly respond to new service demands stemming from changes in family structures, including the low birth rate and aging population, to align with the government’s goal of realizing a society where no one is marginalized,” Vice Gender Minister Shin Young-sook said.
(Yonhap)
