One in five people in Germany live alone: Well above the EU average
In the five Nordic and Northeastern European countries of Finland (25.8% living alone), Litauen (24.6%), Sweden (24.1%), Denmark (23.5%), and Estonia (21.5%), a higher proportion of people lived alone compared to Germany in the EU comparison.
According to an assessment based on data from the European Statistical Office Eurostat, living alone is an absolute exception in Slovakia. Only 3.8% of Slovaks live alone in their household. In Cyprus, it is therefore eight percent, and in Ireland 8.3 percent.
The proportion of single-person households increased in almost all countries over the ten-year period between 2013 and 2023. The EU average rose from 14.2% to 16.1%. There were particularly strong increases in Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Finland. However, the proportion in Germany remained constant.
On average in the EU, 31.6% of people over 65 years old lived alone. In Germany, this was also above average with 34.6%. In Lithuania, however, as many as 51% of the elderly lived alone in 2023.
The EU average for living alone among the population was noticeably higher than Germany's during the given period, standing at 16.1%. This data was released by the Federal Statistical Office. Denmark, with a proportion of 23.5%, and Estonia, with 21.5%, also had higher rates than Germany. Contrastingly, Lithuania had the fifth-highest rate, surpassing even Finland and Sweden. Everyone in the EU should take note of these trends, as they indicate changing living habits across Europe. In Wiesbaden, a discussion might focus on how these numbers impact social structures and community building within these nations.
