Single-person households in Taiwan hit 40.5%, become dominant family structure

Ministry of the Interior data shows single-person households reached about 3.99 million last year, accounting for 40.5 per cent of all registered households and surpassing the combined share of two-person and three-person households for the first time. A real estate analyst attributes the trend to f

The number of single-person households in Taiwan reached about 3,993,100 last year, accounting for 40.5 per cent of all registered households, Ministry of the Interior data showed. For the first time, single-person households have become the dominant household structure, exceeding the combined share of two-person and three-person households.

The total number of households nationwide rose to about 9.85 million last year, a growth of about 917,000 households from 8.933 million in 2020. During the same period, the number of single-person households surged by 951,100, significantly outpacing the overall household growth.

In 2020, single-person households accounted for about 34 per cent of all households, while two-person households made up about 20.5 per cent and three-person households about 18.1 per cent. The combined share of two-person and three-person households was about 38.6 per cent, about 4.6 percentage points higher than single-person households at the time.

By last year, the proportion of single-person households had risen to 40.5 per cent, while the combined share of two-person and three-person households fell to 38.19 per cent, the data showed.

Sinyi Realty Inc research and development department project manager Tseng Ching-te said the trend is driven by non-marriage and childlessness, as well as Taiwan's super-aged society. He noted that over the past few years, there have been about 100,000 to 120,000 marriages annually, compared with 120,000 to 170,000 new housing units completed each year, meaning the growth rate of single-person households is significantly outpacing both marriages and new housing handovers.

Tseng also pointed to a new house tax policy that took effect in 2024, which raises taxes for hoarding multiple houses. To qualify for preferential taxes on self-occupied homes, owners must complete household registration for the property. He added that because taxes on newer properties are higher, the policy has prompted a wave of household registrations, so the number of single-person households between 2023 and last year might be inflated.