Single-Person Households Hit Record 8.003 Million... "Driven by Aging Population and Rising Marriage Age"

Proportion of Employed Single-Person Households Reaches Record High of 63.7%

Last year, the number of single-person households exceeded 8 million, setting a new all-time high. Among these, the proportion of households with employed members also reached a record high of 63.7%.

According to the "Status of Dual-Income Households and Employment in Single-Person Households" released by Statistics Korea on the 19th, based on the regional employment survey for the second half of last year, there were 8,003,000 single-person households in 2024, an increase of 616,000 from the previous year. This is the largest figure since related statistics began in 2015.

The number of employed single-person households increased by 426,000 to reach 5.1 million. The proportion of employed households among all single-person households rose by 0.4 percentage points to 63.7%. Both the number and proportion of employed single-person households reached record highs. Their average weekly working hours were 38.2 hours, down by 0.3 hours.

An official from Statistics Korea explained, "As the population ages, there is a significant increase in elderly single-person households. In addition, as the average age at marriage rises, the number of households with spouses is decreasing, which is contributing to the overall increase in single-person households."

By age group, the proportion of employed single-person households was highest among those aged 30-39 (87.6%), followed by those aged 40-49 (82.6%), 50-59 (75.1%), 15-29 (66.2%), and 60 and older (40.2%). The proportions for those aged 60 and older and for the youth group (15-29) each rose by 0.7 percentage points, while the figure for those in their 50s increased by 0.4 percentage points.

On the 30th, foreign tourists and citizens passed in front of the booth promoting the Seoul Spring Festa at Gwanghwamun Square. The Seoul Spring Festa is Seoul's representative cultural tourism festival held throughout the city, including Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun Square, Deoksugung-gil, and World Cup Stadium, from this day until May 6. 2025.4.30 Photo by Cho Yongjun

By industry, the highest proportions of employed single-person households were found in manufacturing (14.2%), health and social welfare services (11.2%), and wholesale and retail trade (10.0%). By occupation, the largest shares were among professionals and related workers (24.8%), office workers (16.8%), and elementary workers (15.3%).

Among employed single-person households, 4,105,000 were wage-earning households. In terms of wage levels, 31.9% earned between 2 million and 3 million won, and 25.3% earned between 3 million and 4 million won. The proportion earning between 2 million and 3 million won decreased by 2.1 percentage points, while the proportion earning 4 million won or more increased by 2.1 percentage points.

Last year, among 12,673,000 married-couple households, the number of dual-income households was 6,086,000, a decrease of 29,000 from the previous year. The proportion fell by 0.2 percentage points to 48.0%. The age groups with the highest proportion of dual-income households among married-couple households were those aged 30-39 (61.5%) and 40-49 (59.2%).

Among married-couple households with children under 18 (3,937,000 households), the number of dual-income households was 2,304,000, a decrease of 22,000. However, the proportion rose by 1.7 percentage points to 58.5%. The average weekly working hours for these households was 39.0 hours, down by 0.1 hours.