Single-member Families Account for Nearly 30 pct of S. Korean Households

Households consisting of a single member totaled 5.85 million in 2018, compared with 5.62 million the previous year. (Yonhap)

SEJONG, Dec. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of one-person families continued to rise last year, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all households in South Korea, amid the fast-spreading trend of people remaining single, government data showed Saturday.

Households consisting of a single member totaled 5.85 million in 2018, compared with 5.62 million the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

This accounted for 29.3 percent of all households in the country last year, the data showed.

The percentage of those living alone has been on a sharp rise for decades, hitting the 20 percent mark in 2005 for the first time. It was 4.8 percent in 1980.

The number of ordinary households in Korea also continued to rise to 20.5 million in 2018, from 14.3 million in 2000 and 7.9 million in 1980, the data showed.

“The increase in the number of households was caused by a combination of demographical factors and socioeconomic factors, such as industrialization, urbanization and the expansion of nuclear families,” Statistics Korea said in a report.

(Yonhap)