Number of one-person households in South Korea hits record high in 2020

In South Korea the number of one-person households hit a record high last year amid the expanded social trend of delayed marriage and aging population, showed statistical office data released Wednesday.

The number of one-person households was 6,643,000 in 2020, accounting for 31.7 percent of the total households, according to Statistics Korea.

The proportion was up from 30.2 percent in the previous year, marking the highest since data began to be compiled.

The single-member households continued to rise as the younger generation delayed or gave up on marriages.

The country was forecast to become a super-aged society in 2025, when the percentage of those aged 65 or higher would top 20 percent of the total population.

The one-person households in their 20s took up 19.1 percent of the total single-member households.

It was followed by one-person households in their 30s with 16.8 percent, those in their 50s with 15.6 percent, those in their 60s with 15.6 percent and those in their 40s with 13.6 percent.

Regarding reasons for living alone, 24.4 percent picked study and work, trailed by 23.4 percent selecting the death of a spouse.

Among the total single-person households, the proportion of working people was 59.6 percent in 2020, down from 60.8 percent in the previous year.

The annual average income of one-person households amounted to 21.62 million won (18,371 US dollars) in 2019. It stood merely at 36.5 percent of the average annual income for the total households.