Highlights
Families and households in the UK: 2019
What's in the bulletin?
- In 2019, there were 19.2 million families, an increase of 0.4% on the previous year, with a 6.8% increase over the decade from 2009 to 2019.
- The number of households grew by 0.9% since the previous year to 27.8 million in 2019, an increase of 6.8% over the last 10 years.
- Married or civil partner couples remain the most common family type in 2019, they represent two-thirds of families in the UK; Northern Ireland (72.6%) has the highest proportion of married or civil partner couples and the lowest proportion of cohabiting couples (9.4%).
Datasets related to Families
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Young adults living with their parents
Total number of young adults aged 15 to 34 years and total number of young adults aged 20 to 34 years in the UK living with their parents.
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Families and households
Families and children in the UK by family type including married couples, cohabiting couples and lone parents. Also shows household size and people living alone.
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Dependent children with a second address that is another parent or guardian's address by sex by age
All dependent children in England and Wales with a second address that is another parent or guardian's address.
Publications related to Families
Statistical bulletins
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Families and households in the UK: 2019
Trends in living arrangements including families (with and without dependent children), people living alone and people in shared accommodation, broken down by size and type of household.
Articles
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2011 Census analysis
We analyse the characteristics of those living alone within the household population aged 16 and over, and the broader usually resident population. Characteristics analysed include age and sex, housing, qualifications and ethnicity. Geographical variations of those living alone are also highlighted. In 2011, 13% of the total usually resident household population of England and Wales were living alone. This is similar to the overall proportion of those living alone within the European Economic Area (EEA) at 14%.
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2011 Census analysis
Using new data from the 2011 Census, we look at family size and family types within England and Wales, and how this varies by country of birth. Family types include married couples, cohabiting couples and lone parents with or without children. The proportion of families that were married couples (with or without children) declined from 70% in 2001 to 65% in 2011, with cohabiting couples and lone parent families increasing over the same period. The majority of families (85%) were found to have a UK-born family reference person (FRP).
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Dependent children usually resident in England and Wales with a parental second address, 2011
We take a look at dependent children who shared their time between 2 different parental addresses within England and Wales. With an increase in divorces and cohabiting couples (who are more likely to separate) it is increasingly likely that dependent children will be sharing their time between 2 different parental addresses. Analysis includes the age and sex profiles of these children, as well as their geographical distribution and location of their usual residence and parental second address.
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Families and Households in England and Wales
We analyse families across England and Wales by marital status, living arrangements, households and children at national, regional and local levels. Comparisons are made with the 2001 Census and the Labour Force Survey (LFS), where possible. Main findings show a decrease in the number of married persons, whereas the number of persons cohabiting (both same and opposite sex couples) has increased.
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2011 Census analysis
Using 2011 Census data, we look at residents living in overcrowded and under-occupied households and their general health. Results show residents living in overcrowded households reported significantly higher levels of “not good” health compared with those living in under-occupied households. Young people (aged 0 to 15) were more than twice as likely to report “not good” health if they lived in overcrowded households.
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Households and Household Composition in England and Wales
We highlight the characteristics of households and people living in households across England and Wales. Analysis by number of occupied and unoccupied households, household size, housing tenure and the number of children living in households are reported at national and local levels. In 2011 there were 23.4 million households, a 7.9% rise from 2001. The number of households which were privately rented increased from 12% in 2001, to 18% in 2011, with the number of owner occupied households decreasing over the same period.
Methodology related to Families
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