Living Arrangements of Older Persons Around the World
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April 2019 No. 2019/2 Living arrangements of older persons around the world ousehold living arrangements of persons aged 65 2. Living arrangements of older persons vary years or over are an important factor associated greatly across countries and regions Hwith the health, economic status and well-being of older persons.1 While some older persons live alone, others Across the 137 countries or areas with available data, living reside with a spouse or a partner, or with their children arrangements of persons aged 65 years or older differed or grandchildren in multi-generational households. markedly, reflecting differences in family size and personal Understanding the patterns and trends in the living behaviours that were influenced by social and cultural arrangements of older persons is relevant for global efforts norms as well as economic conditions. to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 1 on poverty, Goal 2 on hunger and Goal 3 Living with a child or with extended family members on health. In 2002, the Madrid International Plan of Action was the most common living arrangement among on Ageing identified older persons’ living arrangements as older persons in Africa, Asia and Latin America and a topic requiring more research and attention.2 the Caribbean, whereas in Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand, living with a spouse only was This brief summarizes selected key findings from a recent the most common arrangement, followed by living alone. analysis of the size and composition of households with For example, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, more than 90 at least one older person, using the latest edition of per cent of persons aged 65 years or over co-resided with the United Nations Database on Household Size and their children or lived with extended family members and Composition 2018.3 fewer than 1 per cent lived alone. By contrast, in Estonia and Finland, around 37 and 36 per cent of older persons 1. Globally, older persons live in households that lived alone. range in size from 2 to 12 persons on average According to most recent estimates,4 in countries of 3. About one in five older persons in Europe Europe and Northern America, older persons tend to and Northern America live alone live in relatively small households with fewer than three persons in total. For example, the average size of such Across the 137 countries with available data, the proportion households was 1.9 persons in France, Switzerland and the of older persons living alone ranged from 37 per cent in United Kingdom and 2.1 in the United States of America. Estonia to 0.3 per cent in Afghanistan (figure 1).5 Older Some countries in Eastern Asia and Latin America had low persons were also likely to live alone in Finland (36 per values as well: in South Korea and Argentina, households cent), the Netherlands (35.4), Norway (34.7), Switzerland including an older person had just 2.4 persons on average. (35.2), and Sao Tome and Principe (34.4), the only country in Africa with such a large share of older persons living At the other extreme, across much of Southern Asia and alone. Africa, households with older persons included more than six persons on average. The largest average size Living arrangements of older persons are the result of of households with older members was observed in individual preferences and available resources, as well as Senegal and the Gambia, averaging 12.1 and 12.6 persons the social, economic or health constraints that people face respectively, followed by Afghanistan with 9.4 persons per as they grow older. In general, the highest proportion of household. older persons living alone was found in Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand. Within Europe, living arrangements of older persons differed markedly in Southern Europe from what was observed in Northern, April 2019 POPFACTS, No. 2019/2 1 Percentage 10 20 30 40 0 Figure 1. Proportion of the population aged 65 years or over living alone, most recent estimates recent over livingalone,most or years aged 65 of thepopulation 1.Proportion Figure to oroldercompared aged65years alone amongwomen intheproportion points living than20percentage more of haddifferences inEurope countries Twenty Europe. in found were alone in living gender gaps largest The ordivorce. amongmenafterremarriage widowhood of and 3)higherprevalence amongwomen; widowhood expectancyhigher life ofwomen; 1) the higherproportion living alonewere: ofwomen for reasons The alonethanmen. live likelyto more were women sex, by In available withdata the135countries to livealone than oldermen 4. Olderwomenaremorelikely older personslivingaloneinMexico. of and12.6percent 14.6inPeru 14.4inEcuador, in Brazil, 14.6 are region that typical More for values living alone. oftheirolderpopulation as21.2and26.7percent as many respectively, whichhad, andUruguay, Argentina for except position, inanintermediate fell countries and Caribbean (16.7)andIran (18.1).Most Egypt American Latin cent), (18.7per inAngola found proportions oflivingalonewere intermediate countries, and Asian African Among intheworld. ranking thelowest theGambia, GuineaandSenegal Pakistan, Afghanistan, with andAsia, inAfrica found persons livingalonewere proportions older of Lower in three. about one was ratio Kingdom, andtheUnited the Latvia, Lithuania,Sweden Hungary, Bulgaria, France, Belarus, Spain, whileinAustria, Serbia, and Portugal, aloneinGreece, older personslived oneinfive example, For Europe. Western and Eastern Estonia 2 Finland Netherlands Switzerland POPFACTS, No. 2019/2 POPFACTS, Norway Hungary Belar us Sao Tome and Principe Austria Fr ance Bulgaria Lithuania Ukraine United Kingdom Sweden Czechia 6 Latvia 7 Republic of Moldova of 2)higherprevalence Slovakia Liechtenstein United States of America Russian Federation New Zealand Belgium Germany Italy Luxembourg Canada Romania Urug ua y Poland 42 per cent in Jordan and 36 per cent in Iran, to 4per inIran, to and36percent inJordan 42 percent from leastonechildranged of olderpersonslivingwithat theproportion available, withdata the105countries Across with extendedfamilies or children with Caribbean live and the America and 5. MostolderpersonsinAsia,Africa Latin Namibia (9.0). Dominican Republic (13.8),Ghana(12.2),Haiti(11.5)and (16.6),Botswana (16.2),the (19.5),Panama (21.7), Guyana Jamaica (38.5percent), andPrincipe Tome inSao found women. amongoldermenthan common more was America, livingalone andCentral theCaribbean Africa, countries in inabout22 thetypicalContrary to findings, countries. otherdeveloped to compared amongolderwomen ofwidowhood a higherprevalence intheolderpopulation women ofmento ratio lower the Netherlands (25.6)andHungary (25.3),whichhada (25.6), France (28), Switzerland (29), Austria women), for higher points Serbia (44.8 percentage were differences withthelargest countries The men inthesameagegroup. Australia ofolderpersonslivingwithextended familyranged share The withtheirextended families. of olderpersonslived themajority data, In withavailable 67ofthe100countries leastonechild. with at ofolderpersonslived 20percent Spain, Italy andGreece, Northern notably, America. In andLatin Africa, Europe, America, inLatin located this type were ofco-residence of withthehighestprevalence Countries inSenegal. cent Ir eland Israel Slovenia Bermuda 9 Croatia ofmenlivingalonewere highestshares The Greece Mal ta Argentina Serbia Portugal Spain Mayotte Montenegro Jamai ca Angola Iran (Islamic Republic of) Cyprus Guyana Republic of Korea Egypt Japan Trinidad and Tobago Ge or gia Gabon April 2019 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) South Africa Bahamas Keny a 8 Congo and Bra zi l Per u E cua dor Lesotho Costa Rica Panama Burundi Moz am bi que Benin Uganda Armenia Dominican Republic Chile Mexico Cameroon Mongolia Botswana Colombia State of Palestine Dem. Republic of the Congo T ur ke y Indonesia El Salvador Kyrgyzstan Ghana Viet Nam Nig eri a Zimbabwe T og o Cuba Mal awi United Republic of Tanzania Chad China Hait i Rwanda Jordan Madagascar Zambia Par aguay Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Al ba nia Swaziland Azerbai jan Honduras Côte d'Ivoire Guatemala Namibia Philippines Ethiopia Nicaragua Thailand Sudan Myanmar Cambodia Morocco Nepal India Liberia Fiji Burkina Faso Timor-Lest e South Sudan Maldives Ba ng lade s h Mal i Nig er Yem en Tajik ist an Comoros Gambia Sierra Leone Seneg al Guinea Pak ista n Afghanistan Percentage 10 20 30 40 0 Estonia Finland Netherlands Switzerland Norway Hungary Belar us Sao Tome and Principe Austria Fr ance Bulgaria Lithuania Ukraine United Kingdom Sweden Czechia Latvia Republic of Moldova Slovakia Liechtenstein United States of America Russian Federation New Zealand Belgium Germany Italy Luxembourg Canada Romania Urug ua y Poland Australia Ir eland Israel Slovenia Bermuda Croatia Greece Mal ta Argentina Serbia Portugal Spain Mayotte Montenegro Jamai ca Angola Iran (Islamic Republic of) Cyprus Guyana Republic of Korea Egypt Japan Trinidad and Tobago Ge or gia Gabon Bolivia (Plurinational State of) South Africa Bahamas Keny a Congo Bra zi l Per u E cua dor Lesotho Costa Rica Panama Burundi Moz am bi que Benin Uganda April 2019 Armenia fertilitysmaller family lower with and generally regions withother ascompared high fertility inthisregion levels dueto familysizes larger withgenerally can beassociated this ofsub-Saharanin countries instances, In Africa. many most common was oryounger aged20years with children Living countries. inmostAfrican than10percent more ofAmerica, to States andtheUnited countries European inall lessthan1percent