
Yomiuri: Single-member households eclipse others for 1st time
The number of single households in the nation surpassed that of households with a married couple with one child or more for the first time in 2006, according to a report released by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. There were 14.71 million single-member households, eclipsing the 14.55 million households of married couples with one child or more, which had prevailed until 2005, the report said Friday. The research institute estimates the gap between the two categories will further widen, and in 2030, single households will increase to 18.24 million and households of married couples with one child or more will decrease to 10.7 million. Households headed by people aged 75 or older will reach 11.1 million in 2030, almost double the 5.54 million registered in 2005. The number of single households where residents are 75 or older will increase to 4.29 million in 2030 from 1.97 million in 2005. Households headed by people aged 65 or older will rise from 13.55 million in 2005 to 19.03 million in 2030, according to the report.