Population - Share of single households grows significantly
The proportion of one-person households in Hessen has significantly increased. From the census survey in 2011 to the survey in 2022, this proportion rose by 26.3 percent to 42.5 percent, as the Statistical Office in Wiesbaden reported. In numerical terms, this represented an increase from 994,900 to 1,26 million one-person households.
A disproportionate number of citizens lived alone in the three largest Hessian cities on the reference date of May 15, 2022. In Frankfurt, the proportion of one-person households 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: From 2011 to 2022, it increased by 7.4 percent to 2.96 million.
Simultaneously, 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 percent compared to 2011), 13.1 percent were three-person households (a decrease of 6.6 percent), and 9.7 percent were four-person households (a decrease of 6.1 percent).
Single parents are mostly women
In 54.4 percent of all households in Hessen in 2022, residents lived in various types 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. Among them, 79.6 percent were mothers (79.6 percent).
Furthermore, according to the Statistical Office, 23.1 percent of Hessian households were, in 2022, so-called senior households with residents over 64 years of age. In 2011, this proportion had been 20.3 percent.
Statisticians use the census, or population census, to roughly determine every ten years how many people live in Germany, how they live, and how they work.
In Hesse, the rise in single-person households is notable in the largest cities. Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, and Kassel all have high percentages of single residents, with Frankfurt leading at 53.1%.
The increase in single-person households has contributed to the overall growth of households in Hesse, with a 7.4% increase from 2011 to 2022.
Interestingly, single parents mostly consist of women in Hessian households. In 2022, 79.6% of single-parent households in Hesse were female-led.
Despite the increase in single-person households and single parents, traditional family structures still dominate, with couples with children making up 22.7% of households and couples without children at 24.2%.
