SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The proportion of South Korea's single-person households was estimated to hit almost 40 percent in 2050, statistical office data showed Thursday.
The ratio of single-person households to the total was forecast to rise from 31.2 percent in 2020 to 39.6 percent in 2050, according to Statistics Korea.
The proportion for households only with husband and wife was expected to gain from 16.8 percent to 23.3 percent in the cited period, while the ratio for households with a couple and children was forecast to fall from 29.3 percent to 17.1 percent.
The estimate was based on the aging population and the social trend of refraining from getting married and having babies, caused by economic troubles such as soaring home prices and high unemployment among youths.
The proportion of households with members aged 65 or higher was estimated to surge from 22.4 percent in 2020 to 49.8 percent in 2050. ■
