Global Population Report

The data booklet outlines recent global trends in household size and composition, based on data from the United Nations Database on Household Size and Composition 2017.

The household is a core socioeconomic unit in human societies. Defined as a group of persons who share food, shelter, and other necessities of life, it is central to demographic, social, and economic dynamics.

Decisions on childbearing, education, health care, consumption, labour force participation, migration, and savings are made mainly at the household level. Understanding household size and composition therefore helps advance efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Analysis of the data shows that smaller households—fewer than three persons on average—are concentrated in Europe and North America, while larger households—five persons or more on average—are common across much of Africa and the Middle East. The presence of children strongly shapes household priorities, particularly the allocation of resources to education and health care.

Across Africa and Asia, more than 80 per cent of households in many countries include at least one child under age 15. By contrast, fewer than 30 per cent of households in most European countries include children. In Bulgaria and Germany, the share is especially low, at under 20 per cent.

Across the 124 countries with available data, two-parent households account for a median share of 73 per cent of households with children under age 15. Single-parent households represent a much smaller median share: 21 per cent for lone-mother households and 3 per cent for lone-father households. They are more common in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and less common in Asia. Lone-father households exceed 15 per cent of households with children in Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Belgium, while lone-mother households exceed 45 per cent in Botswana, Namibia, and Eswatini.

Female-headed households are most prevalent in North America, at 47 per cent, followed by Europe at 37 per cent and Latin America and the Caribbean at 34 per cent. Their median prevalence is much lower in Africa, at 27 per cent, and lowest in Asia, at 19 per cent.

In Europe and North America, where more than 15 per cent of the population is aged 60 or over, one third of households include at least one older person. By contrast, in African countries, less than 5 per cent of the population is aged 60 or over.

The share of households that include an older person also depends on living arrangements. In many countries across Africa and Asia, the high prevalence of such households reflects traditions of multigenerational living and family support.