Newsroom
Cyprus remains one of the most family-oriented societies in Europe, with just 12.6% of people living alone, the third-lowest share in the European Union, according to new household composition data released by Eurostat.
The finding places Cyprus well below the EU trend, where living alone has become increasingly common and single-adult households now represent the fastest-growing type of household across the bloc.
Across the EU, there were 202 million households in 2024, with 75 million consisting of single adults without children, making it the largest household category. Since 2015, the number of these households has grown by 16.9%, far outpacing the 5.8% growth in the total number of households.
While much of Europe is moving toward smaller, more individual living arrangements, Cyprus remains closer to the traditional household model, where adults are more likely to live with partners or family members.
Europe moving toward smaller households
Eurostat’s data show that more than one fifth of adults in the EU now live alone or as single parents, a trend linked to ageing populations, delayed marriage and changing social patterns.
The proportion of adults living alone rises sharply with age. Nearly one third of Europeans aged 65 or over live alone, and the number of older men living alone has risen particularly quickly in recent years.
Among adults aged 25–54, almost one in five men (19.9%) live alone without children compared with 12% of women.
Single-parent households remain predominantly female-led. Across the EU, 5.4% of women aged 25-54 are single parents, compared with 1% of men in the same age group.
Fewer households raising children
The data also underline a demographic shift across Europe.
In 2024, only 23.6% of EU households included children, meaning more than three quarters did not.
The share varies widely across countries. Slovakia (35.6%) and Ireland (31%) have the highest proportions of households with children, while Finland (18%) and Lithuania (19.6%) have the lowest.
Where children are present, two-parent households dominate, accounting for 63.5% of families with children across the EU.
Single-parent families represent 12.7% of households with children, though the share ranges from 36.7% in Estonia to below 5% in countries such as Greece, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Smaller families becoming the norm
Households with one child now account for almost half (49.8%) of all EU families with children, while 37.6% have two children and 12.6% have three or more.
Larger families remain more common in countries such as Ireland, Sweden and Finland, but are significantly less frequent in southern Europe.
Work and households
Employment patterns within households also vary significantly across Europe.
In 2024, 57.8% of EU households had all adults in employment, including 41.4% where everyone worked full-time.
At the other end of the spectrum, 13.8% of households had no working adults.
Countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Estonia recorded some of the highest shares of households where all adults were working.
Jobless households declining across the EU
The proportion of people living in households where no one works has fallen over the past decade.
Across the EU, 8% of children aged 0–17 live in jobless households, down from 10.1% in 2015. The same 8% share applies to adults aged 18–59.
The situation varies widely between countries, ranging from 15.3% of children in Romania to less than 4% in Croatia, Sweden and Slovenia.
Cyprus still reflects a stronger family model
Taken together, the figures show that Cyprus remains less affected by the rapid growth of single-person households seen elsewhere in Europe.
While the EU is increasingly characterised by people living alone and smaller family units, Cyprus continues to record one of the lowest levels of solo living, suggesting that household structures on the island still reflect stronger family ties than in much of the rest of the bloc.
With information from Eurostat.
