Seoul: The number of single-person households in South Korea surpassed 10 million for the first time last year, accounting for over 40 percent of all households, the interior ministry's data revealed on Wednesday. The total number of households reached 24,118,928, marking an increase of approximately 1 million from 2020.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the number of one-person households represented 42 percent of the total, up from 39.2 percent in 2020 when such households first exceeded 9 million. The data also highlighted a rise in two-person households, which increased from 5.4 million to 6.01 million over the same period. In contrast, households with four or more people saw a decrease by 670,000, totaling 3.94 million.
Meanwhile, South Korea's population showed a decline, dropping from 51.83 million in 2020 to 51.22 million last year, marking the fifth consecutive year of population decrease. However, the year-on-year decline rate has diminished since its peak in 2022, suggesting that the trend of population decline has somewhat eased, according to the ministry.