Population - Proportion of single households is growing
The proportion of one-person households in Hessen has increased. The share of this group rose by 6.3 percentage points to 42.5 percent from the census in 2011 to the survey in 2022, as reported by the Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. This resulted in an increase of 740,000 one-person households from 994,900 to 1,26 million.
Moreover, an above-average number of residents lived alone in the three largest Hessian cities on the reference date May 15, 2022. The percentage of one-person households in Frankfurt was 53.1 percent, in the state capital Wiesbaden 50.1 percent, and in Kassel 52.9 percent. This development, according to statisticians, also drove up the overall number of households in Hessen: It rose by 7.4 percent from 2011 to 2022 to 2.96 million.
At the same time, the proportion of households with more than one resident decreased. In 2022, 29.5 percent of Hessian households were two-person households (a decrease of 1.5 percentage points compared to 2011), 13.1 percent were three-person households (a decrease of 6.6 percentage points), and 9.7 percent were four-person households (a decrease of 6.1 percentage points).
Single parents are mostly women
In 54.4 percent of all households in Hessen in 2022, residents lived in various forms of families. The proportion of couples with children was 22.7 percent, and without children it was 24.2 percent. In 7.5 percent of households, single parents lived with their children. 79.6 percent of them were mothers (79.6 percent).
Furthermore, according to the Statistical Office, 23.1 percent of Hessian households in 2022 were so-called senior households with residents over 64 years old. In 2011, this percentage was still 20.3 percent.
Statisticians determine approximately every ten years with a census, how many people live in Germany, how they live and work.
- The increase in one-person households in Hesse was particularly noticeable in the larger cities, with Kassel, Frankfurt, and Wiesbaden having over 50% of residents living alone.
- The proportion of single parents living in Hessian households in 2022 was 7.5%, and an overwhelming majority of these single parents were women, accounting for 79.6% of this group.
- Single parents and individuals living alone contribute to the rising number of households in Hesse, as the proportion of one-person households has significantly increased from 2011 to 2022.
- For those living alone in larger cities like Kassel and Frankfurt, the city of Wiesbaden's Statistical Office provides valuable resources and support, aiding in societies' understanding and response to these changing living arrangements.
