The number of single-person households in Incheon exceeded 390,000 as of 2023, accounting for 32% of all general households. Incheon City plans to actively address issues such as economic, health, housing, and social isolation caused by the increase in single-person households by investing approximately 81.3 billion KRW this year to implement various support projects for single-person households.
According to the city on the 19th, the proportion of single-person households in Incheon has been increasing annually: 24.7% in 2017, 25.2% in 2018, 26.6% in 2019, 28.3% in 2020, 30.0% in 2021, and 31.0% in 2022.
In 2023, there were 395,278 single-person households, accounting for 31.8% of the total general households (excluding foreigners and collective households) of 1,242,168. Although this is lower than the national average (35.5%), single-person households, which have emerged as the main household type since 2020, have recorded an average annual growth rate of 7.3%.
Considering this trend, the city enacted the Single-Person Household Support Ordinance in 2022 and has been preparing and implementing annual support plans. This year, a total budget of 81.289 billion KRW will be invested to promote 35 projects across six areas: economic life and housing stability support, creation of a safe living environment, health promotion and care support, and strengthening social networks.
The core economic life support project will allocate 39.5 billion KRW to provide livelihood and medical support for households in crisis, independence support for children aging out of care, and job opportunities for vulnerable employment groups. Additionally, the city will secure housing stability and independence for youth through affordable rent, rental housing supply, and support for housing lease deposit interest and monthly rent. For elderly living alone, services such as home health care, psychological counseling, provision of safety phones, and emergency safety services (installation of fire and gas detectors) will be provided concurrently.
The city will also promote the "Happy Companion Project" to strengthen social networks for single-person households. Ganghwa-gun, Bupyeong-gu, and Seo-gu family centers have been designated as implementing agencies to carry out three common projects: middle-aged and older single-person household chat salons, happy healthy meals, and substantial financial education for life, along with customized programs such as joint grocery shopping tailored to each district.
Support for forming clubs among single-person households will help middle-aged and older adults build social networks, improve dietary habits, and increase social interaction through communal cooking and meals. Furthermore, lifecycle-tailored financial and economic programs will be operated to strengthen financial planning for single-person households and enhance self-care capabilities.
According to a survey on single-person households conducted by Incheon City from June 2022 to April 2023, respondents expressed demands for emotional services (45.5%), services related to economic preparation for old age (45.4%), and cooking-related programs (44.1%).
An Incheon City official stated, "As single-person households steadily increase, various problems such as housing, health, and social isolation are emerging. We will comprehensively manage support policies to provide practical assistance."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
