2013 Census findings - Household composition

Households since 2006

Household composition has remained fairly stable since 2006.

The main change has been an increase in more than one family living within one household, from 2.8% in 2006 to 3.4% in 2013. This has occurred during a lengthy global economic recession, but is still not a large increase – rounded, the percentage would be stable at 3%.

In particular, there has been a doubling of one parent families living with other people, from 1% to 2%.

Long term change

Household composition is not the kind of indicator that changes suddenly, but is a rather longer term transition.

• The greatest change in the last 50 years has been the marked decline in households with a couple plus children.

• In 1971 just over half of households had children. Today just 40% have children and only one in four has two parents plus children. Thus the traditional norm of our society of households made up of two parents and their children is no longer the case (see graph).

• At the same time single person households have more than doubled from one in ten to one in four (24%).

• Couple only households have also increased, mainly between 1971 and 1991, but now levelling off at around one in four.

• There has been a decline in one parent households from a peak in 1991 (12%) to 9% now.

• This has been accompanied by a slight increase in one parent families living with other people, but there is still a declining trend overall.

[Full document:

HOUSEHOLDS - CENSUS 2013 (PDF)]