Rise in Single-Person Households Reaches Over 17 Million in Germany by 2025

In 2025, about 17.3 million people in Germany lived alone, representing roughly 21% of the population, as reported by the Statistisches Bundesamt. This marks a significant increase from 14.2 million single-person households in 2005, highlighting a continuing demographic trend. The data reveals notable age-related patterns, with 34.4% of those over 65 and 28.7% of young adults aged 25 to 34 living alone.

Urban-rural differences are pronounced: in cities with populations over 100,000, 25.9% of residents live alone, while in medium-sized towns (20,000 to 100,000 inhabitants) the figure is 20.6%, and in smaller communities below 20,000 inhabitants, it drops to 17.2%. This urban concentration illustrates that larger cities accommodate more single households than smaller municipalities.

Germany’s rate of solo living surpasses the EU average of 16.5%, placing it sixth among European countries for the proportion of single-person households. Countries like Lithuania, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, and Sweden rank higher, while Slovakia and Ireland have the lowest shares.

This upward trend reflects changing societal norms and living preferences, particularly among older adults and young professionals in urban environments. The steady rise from 2005 underscores notable shifts in household composition within Germany over the past two decades.