Families

The composition of families and households, including data on lone parents, married couples and civil partnership families. Household size and household types, including people living alone, multi-family households and households where members are all unrelated are also provided.

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%).
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Families and households statistics explained

This explainer outlines families and households definitions, classifications, uses and users of the data, common queries, and other sources of household estimates.
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The cost of living alone

As the number of one-person households continues to rise, analysis reveals the financial situation and personal well-being of those living alone.

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Datasets related to Families

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Publications related to Families

Statistical bulletins

  • 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.

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Articles

  • Children whose families struggle to get on are more likely to have mental disorders

    Healthy family functioning and parental mental health are important elements in understanding the mental health of children.

  • Why are more young people living with their parents?

  • How does your family size compare?

  • 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.

  • 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%.

  • 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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Methodology related to Families

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