3106.0 - Demography News, Dec 1999  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 10/12/1999   
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All

Living alone to become more common

Among the key results in a new publication Household and Family Projections, Australia, 1996-2021 (ABS Catalogue No. 3236.0), are that

  • by 2021 the number of Australians living alone is projected to increase to between 1 in 7 and 1 in 9. In 1996 the figure was 1 in 12.

  • 20% to 24% of people living alone in 2021 are projected to be aged 75 years and over and of these about three-quarters will be women.

  • the number of children living with one parent is projected to be between 1.1 million and 1.9 million by 2021. Almost one-third (31%) of 0-4 year olds could be living with one parent by 2021.

  • of all family types, couple families without children are projected to increase most rapidly over the period 1996-2021, reflecting the ageing of the baby boomers as they become 'empty nesters'.