Over-65s drive rise in people living alone

A RISE in the number of people living alone in the UK in the past decade has been entirely driven by an increase in older people residing on their own.

- AINE FOX

In 2024, there were an estimated 4.3 million people aged over 65 living alone, up from 3.5 million in 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

This age group accounted for just over half (51.1%) of all people living alone last year, compared with 45.5% in 2014.

The statistics body said: “People aged 65 years or over accounted in full for the increase in people living alone in 2024 compared with 2014.”