Germany's solo living trend grows, with one in five now on their own

DPA

Roughly 17 million people in Germany were living alone last year, or more than one in five, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office released on Wednesday.

The number of single-person households has risen sharply over the past two decades, increasing by about 22% since 2004, when 14 million people (17.1%) lived alone. The figure now stands at 20.6% of the population.

Single-person households are most common among older adults. More than a third (34%) of those aged 65 and over live alone, a figure that rises to 56% among people aged 85 and above. But the trend also affects younger adults: 28% of those aged 25 to 34 now live alone - well above average, the statisticians said.

Germany's overall rate is significantly higher than the EU average of 16.2%.

People living alone are especially vulnerable to poverty. According to preliminary results from the 2024 microcensus, 29% of single-person households are at risk of poverty, nearly double the rate for the general population.

Almost 83.6 million people lived in Germany at the end of 2024.