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: 2016

What's in the bulletin?

  • In 2016 there were 18.9 million families in the UK
  • There were 12.7 million married or civil partner couple families in the UK in 2016. This was the most common type of family
  • Cohabiting couple families were the fastest growing family type between 1996 and 2016, more than doubling from 1.5 million families to 3.3 million families
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Datasets related to Families

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Publications related to Families

Statistical bulletins

  • Families and households in the UK: 2016

    Trends in living arrangements in the UK 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

  • 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%.

  • 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).

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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Methodology related to Families

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