Latest news with #ONS
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Lonely Britain: Surge in people living alone to 8.4m fuelled by rise in over-65s
A record number of people are now living alone in the UK with a surge over the past decade driven entirely by a rise in over-65s residing on their own, official figures show. In total there were 8.4 million Britons living alone in 2024 - an increase of 11 per cent from 7.6 million people in 2014 - equivalent to 12.5 per cent of all UK households. More than half were 65 and over with an estimated 4.3 million over-65s living alone last year, up from 3.5 million a decade earlier, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The statistics body said that 'people aged 65 years or over accounted in full for the increase in people living alone' while the number of people aged under 65 years living on their own remained stable. Some 40.9 per cent of women aged 65 and over lived alone compared to 27 per cent of men of the same age. The ONS said this reflects greater life expectancies in women while data also shows that men are more likely to remarry. Experts have raised the alarm over the epidemic of loneliness facing Britons, with the World Health Organisation declaring loneliness to be a pressing global health threat in 2023. The figures also show that the proportion of young adults living with their parents has risen by almost 10 per cent in a decade. Some 3.6 million people aged 20 to 34 years lived with their parents in 2024 compared to 3.3 million in 2014 - with more young adults now living with their parents at older ages. Young men are more likely to be at home with their parents than women, with 33.7 per cent of men aged between 20 and 34 years living in the family home, compared with 22.1 per cent of women. The ONS said more young adults living with their parents at older ages is part of a 'trend of adults reaching milestones later in life' - such as getting married and having children - and may be 'explained by a number of factors including increased housing costs'. Alison Fernandes, a partner at Hall Brown Family Law, said the rise in the number of women aged over 65 living alone indicated how much more confident women are now than their counterparts in previous generations. She said: 'Some of these individuals will have been among the first to capitalise on the opportunities to develop careers on an equal footing with men as a result of sex equality legislation. 'Having worked hard to establish a sense of financial independence, many will be wary of seeing it jeopardised. 'That is because they know a significant proportion of marriages do not sadly last the course. In fact, some of these women may already have been divorced and not wish to experience a repeat.' She added: 'That contrasts greatly with men of a similar age who are far more likely to remarry after a break-up.'
The Independent
18 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Rise in people living alone in UK driven entirely by over-65s
A rise in the number of people living alone in the UK in the past decade has been entirely driven by an increase in older people residing on their own. In 2024, there were an estimated 4.3 million people aged over 65 living alone, up from 3.5 million in 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. This age group accounted for just over half (51.1%) of all people living alone last year, compared with 45.5% in 2014. The statistics body said: ' People aged 65 years or over accounted in full for the increase in people living alone in 2024 compared with 2014.' There were around 4.1 million people aged under 65 years old living alone in both 2014 and 2024, the ONS said, adding that the 'increasing proportions of people living alone in older age groups reflects an ageing population'. A higher proportion of women aged 65 or over in households lived alone (40.9%) than men of the same age (27%), which the ONS said is partly because of women having a higher life expectancy than men. The latest data from the ONS estimated there were 8.4 million people living alone in the UK in 2024, up 11% from 7.6 million in 2014. Meanwhile, the proportion of young adults in the UK living with their parents has grown by almost 10% in a decade. Young men – aged between 20 and 34 years old – were more likely to be at home with their parents than women in the same age group in 2024, according to the ONS. There were an estimated 3.6 million people in this age group in a family with their parent or parents in 2024, up 9.9% from 3.3 million in 2014, the ONS said. While a third (33.7%) of men in this age group lived with parents, this compared to less than a quarter (22.1%) of women. The ONS said more young adults living with their parents at older ages is part of a 'trend of adults reaching milestones later in life' and may be 'explained by a number of factors including increased housing costs'. The latest statistics also showed that lone-parent families were less likely to contain dependent children in 2024 – 62.5%, down from just over two thirds or 66.1% in 2014. The proportion of lone parents who are fathers has grown, from 13.1% a decade ago, to 16.7% last year. While married couples still made up the largest proportion of families in the latest estimates, this has decreased to 65.1% last year from 67.1% in 2014. The ONS said this was down to more couples living together without getting married.
The Guardian
19 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
Young men in UK more likely to live with parents than women
Young men are more likely to live at home with their parents than women of the same age, with a third of 20-34-year-old men in the UK now living in their parental home. Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed 33.7% of men aged 20-34 lived with parents in 2024, compared with less than a quarter (22.1%) of women the same age. In total, the number of young people aged 20-34 living with their parents has risen by 10% over the past decade, from 3.3 million in 2014 to 3.6 million in 2024. The ONS said this was 'part of trend of adults reaching milestones later in life', and could be 'explained by a number of factors including increased housing costs'. This reflects a trend seen across Europe, where data from an EU agency showed the proportion of 25- to-34-year-olds in employment living in their parental home had risen from 24% to 27% between 2017 and 2022. The data also showed a rise in the number of people living alone in the UK in the past decade has been driven by an increase in older people aged over 65. In 2024, there were an estimated 4.3 million people aged over 65 living alone, up from 3.5 million in 2014. The increase means that half of all people living alone in the UK were aged 65 years or over in 2024. The ONS said this 'reflects an ageing population' and there was a higher proportion of women over 65 years living alone (40.9%) than men of the same age (27.0%), because of higher life expectancy for women. The data estimated there were 8.4 million people living alone in the UK in 2024, up 11% from 7.6 million in 2014. The data on families and household types in the UK also showed that the proportion of lone parents who are fathers has grown, from 13.1% a decade ago, to 16.7% last year. While married couples still made up the largest proportion of families in the latest estimates, this has decreased to 65.1% last year from 67.1% in 2014. The ONS said this was down to more couples living together without getting married.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rise in people living alone in UK driven entirely by over-65s
A rise in the number of people living alone in the UK in the past decade has been entirely driven by an increase in older people residing on their own. In 2024, there were an estimated 4.3 million people aged over 65 living alone, up from 3.5 million in 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. This age group accounted for just over half (51.1%) of all people living alone last year, compared with 45.5% in 2014. The statistics body said: 'People aged 65 years or over accounted in full for the increase in people living alone in 2024 compared with 2014.' There were around 4.1 million people aged under 65 years old living alone in both 2014 and 2024, the ONS said, adding that the 'increasing proportions of people living alone in older age groups reflects an ageing population'. A higher proportion of women aged 65 or over in households lived alone (40.9%) than men of the same age (27%), which the ONS said is partly because of women having a higher life expectancy than men. The latest data from the ONS estimated there were 8.4 million people living alone in the UK in 2024, up 11% from 7.6 million in 2014. Meanwhile, the proportion of young adults in the UK living with their parents has grown by almost 10% in a decade. Young men – aged between 20 and 34 years old – were more likely to be at home with their parents than women in the same age group in 2024, according to the ONS. There were an estimated 3.6 million people in this age group in a family with their parent or parents in 2024, up 9.9% from 3.3 million in 2014, the ONS said. While a third (33.7%) of men in this age group lived with parents, this compared to less than a quarter (22.1%) of women. The ONS said more young adults living with their parents at older ages is part of a 'trend of adults reaching milestones later in life' and may be 'explained by a number of factors including increased housing costs'. The latest statistics also showed that lone-parent families were less likely to contain dependent children in 2024 – 62.5%, down from just over two thirds or 66.1% in 2014. The proportion of lone parents who are fathers has grown, from 13.1% a decade ago, to 16.7% last year. While married couples still made up the largest proportion of families in the latest estimates, this has decreased to 65.1% last year from 67.1% in 2014. The ONS said this was down to more couples living together without getting married.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Britain's public borrowing in June hits second-high on record: ONS
LONDON, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Public borrowing in the United Kingdom (UK) stood at 20.7 billion British pounds (about 27.74 billion U.S. dollars) in June, marking the second-highest level for the month since records began in 1993, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Tuesday. The borrowing, the difference between spending and tax income, surged 6.6 billion pounds year-on-year and was 3.5 billion pounds more than the March projection made by the government's spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). It was only behind that of June 2020 when the country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the ONS. The rising costs of providing public services and a large rise in the interest payable on index-linked gilts pushed up overall spending more than the increases in income from taxes and national insurance contributions, causing borrowing to rise in June, said Richard Heys, acting chief economist of the ONS. Public sector net debt excluding public sector banks was estimated at 96.3 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of June. The reading rose 0.5 percentage points from that at the end of June 2024 and remained at levels last seen in the early 1960s, said the ONS. "The latest borrowing figures underline what many of us already thought -- that the government is almost certain to announce another set of tax increases at the Autumn Budget," said Tom Clougherty, executive director at the Institute of Economic Affairs. Clougherty noted that given the country's deepening economic malaise, high borrowing costs, and the government's failure to implement even minor spending cuts, it is hard to see another way out. Britain is facing a bleak outlook for public finances, said the OBR in a report released in early July. It warned of a substantial erosion of the country's capacity to respond to future shocks and growing pressures on public finances and projected public borrowing to further increase in the mid and long terms. (1 pound = 1.34 U.S. dollar)
