Living Alone in Australia: trends in sole living and characteristics of those who live alone

In 2006 almost two million adults were living alone in Australia. This number, which represents 13 per cent of individuals aged 20 and older, is steadily rising; since 1971 lone person households have almost doubled from 14 per cent of all Australian households in 1971 to 27 per cent in 2006. By any measure, those who live alone represent a significant proportion of the population and the growth in this form of living invites us to ask what kinds of people are living alone and whether the increase in living alone is more marked among some sectors of the population than others. By examining the types of people who live alone, what are we able to conclude about this rise in living alone? To begin to make sense of the accelarating phenomenon of living alone we must first develop a picture of the types of people who live alone. It is only by understanding who lives alone and the groups among whom living alone is growing that we can begin to understand what might lie behind this trend – a trend that is seen in all developed countries.