Who are we? · Households · UK, nations and English regions
What kinds of households do we live in?
There were about 28.0 million households in the UK at the 2021 census, and 30.8% of them were one person living alone. Compare household size and type across the four nations and English regions.
Evidence last reviewed 31 October 2026
How many people share a home?
Census-based statistics, UK 2021 · Scotland modelled to March 2021
- United Kingdom30.8%
- England30.1%
- Wales31.9%
- Scotland36.9%
- Northern Ireland30.5%
| Household size | United Kingdom | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One person in household | 30.8% | 30.1% | 31.9% | 36.9% | 30.5% |
| Two people in household | 34.0% | 34.0% | 35.1% | 34.1% | 30.4% |
| Three people in household | 15.8% | 16.0% | 15.8% | 14.0% | 16.3% |
| Four people in household | 12.7% | 12.9% | 11.7% | 10.8% | 13.8% |
| Five people in household | 4.4% | 4.5% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 6.2% |
| Six or more people in household | 2.3% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 1.1% | 2.8% |
Show the workings and sources
A household is one person living alone, or a group of people living at the same address who share cooking facilities and a living room or dining area. Census-based statistics, UK 2021. England, Wales and Northern Ireland come from Census 2021 (21 March 2021). Scotland is modelled to 21 March 2021 from the 2011 and 2022 censuses and aligned to mid-year estimates; it is not Scotland's Census 2022 count.
- Census-based statistics, UK 2021: household size — UK04. ONS, NRS and NISRA (NISRA Data Portal). Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Crown copyright (NISRA), Open Government Licence v3.0.
What kinds of household?
Census-based statistics, UK 2021 · Scotland modelled to March 2021
| Household type | United Kingdom | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-person household: aged 66 years and over | 13.0% | 12.8% | 14.6% | 14.2% | 11.9% |
| One-person household: aged 65 years and under | 17.8% | 17.3% | 17.3% | 22.7% | 18.6% |
| Single family household: all aged 66 years and over | 9.1% | 9.2% | 10.2% | 8.5% | 7.9% |
| Single family household: married or civil partnership couple: no children | 10.5% | 10.4% | 10.8% | 11.3% | 9.3% |
| Single family household: married or civil partnership couple: with dependent children | 14.2% | 14.4% | 11.9% | 12.4% | 16.9% |
| Single family household: married or civil partnership couple: all children non-dependent | 5.7% | 5.6% | 6.1% | 5.4% | 8.1% |
| Single family household: cohabiting couple: no children | 6.2% | 6.3% | 5.7% | 6.0% | 3.9% |
| Single family household: cohabiting couple: with dependent children | 4.4% | 4.5% | 5.0% | 4.0% | 2.9% |
| Single family household: cohabiting couple: all children non-dependent | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.4% |
| Single family household: lone parent family: with dependent children | 6.9% | 6.9% | 7.6% | 5.9% | 8.7% |
| Single family household: lone parent family: all children non-dependent | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.4% | 4.1% | 5.8% |
| Other household types: with dependent children | 2.5% | 2.7% | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.1% |
| Other household types: all in full-time education | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| Other household types: all aged 66 years and over | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Other household or family composition | 4.2% | 4.5% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 3.2% |
This counts households, not people or families. A family is a couple, or a lone parent, with any children; one household can contain more than one family.
Show the workings and sources
- Census-based statistics, UK 2021: household composition — UK03. ONS, NRS and NISRA (NISRA Data Portal). Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Crown copyright (NISRA), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Lone parents with dependent children
Census 2021 · England and Wales only (21 March 2021)
- North East8.0%
- North West7.7%
- Yorkshire and The Humber7.2%
- East Midlands6.5%
- West Midlands7.4%
- East of England6.3%
- London7.8%
- South East6.0%
- South West5.7%
- Wales7.6%
| Area | Households | All households | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 94,313 | 1,175,685 | 8.0% |
| North West | 241,480 | 3,153,406 | 7.7% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 168,688 | 2,330,663 | 7.2% |
| East Midlands | 132,437 | 2,037,331 | 6.5% |
| West Midlands | 180,039 | 2,429,493 | 7.4% |
| East of England | 166,653 | 2,628,784 | 6.3% |
| London | 267,852 | 3,423,890 | 7.8% |
| South East | 227,161 | 3,807,964 | 6.0% |
| South West | 138,453 | 2,448,882 | 5.7% |
| Wales | 102,274 | 1,347,112 | 7.6% |
A dependent child is aged 0 to 15, or 16 to 18 in full-time education and living with parents or grandparents. Comparable figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland use different household classifications and are not shown on this chart.
Show the workings and sources
- Census 2021: household composition (37 categories), regions — HH: hh_family_composition_37a. ONS. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Census 2021 regions (codes and names) — area-types/rgn. ONS. Retrieved 2026-10-31. Exact file or query. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Not yet shown
The long-run trend in families with dependent children (Labour Force Survey, 1996 to 2025) is planned for this page but has not been built yet.
Built from official tables and checked by automated tests; it has not yet had independent analytical review. About these numbers.