In the EU, similar shares of men and women aged 15 - 64 live alone (both 19%), in a couple (48% for men, 51% for women) and with another adult (not a couple) or more adults (33% for men, 30% for women).
However, differences are more visible among people aged 65 and over. In the EU, four in ten women (40%) live alone compared to 19% of men. These people might have been facing particular difficulties in daily life resulting from social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please note that these data refer to people living in private households; people living in collective or institutional households are excluded.
Highest share of older women living alone in Latvia, lowest in Estonia and Belgium
Among the EU Member States, Latvia recorded the highest proportion of women aged 65 and over living alone (49%), followed by Slovenia and Germany (both 45%) as well as Finland and Czechia (both 44%).
In contrast, the lowest shares of women aged 65 or over living alone were registered in Estonia (26%) and Belgium (28%), followed by Spain and Cyprus (both 31%), Portugal (32%) and Denmark (33%).
Source dataset: lfst_hhindws
For more information on topics related to demographic and societal change, you can read the Report on the impact of demographic change.
Note: The European Union (EU) includes 27 EU Member States. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020. Further information is published here.
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