In 2008, 74% of children in the EU27 lived with two married parents, while 14% lived in a single-parent household and 12% in a household with cohabitating parents.

In all Member States, the most common living arrangement for children aged less than 18 years was to live in a household with married parents. In 2008, just over half of children lived with two married parents in Estonia and Sweden (both 54%), while the proportion was around 90% in Greece (92%) and Cyprus (89%). Children living in a household with cohabitating parents were most common in Sweden (27%), Estonia (23%), France (21%) and Slovenia (20%), while the highest shares of children living with one parent were found in Latvia and Ireland (both 23%), Estonia and the United Kingdom (both 21%).

These figures on living arrangements in the EU Member States come from a report published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. While this release focuses on the living arrangements of children and of men and women aged 65 and over, the report covers a broader range including multigenerational households and young adults.

More than half of women aged 65 and over living alone in the Nordic countries

When considering the differences in the living arrangements of men and women aged 65 and over, it should be kept in mind that this is influenced by factors such as higher life expectancy for women. Among men aged 65 and over in the EU27, the most common living arrangement was to live with their partner in a two-person household, while for women in this age group it was most common to live alone. It should be noted that persons living in collective households such as retirement homes are not included in the survey.

In 2008, 60% of men of this age group lived with their partner only, 20% lived alone and another 20% lived in a household with other persons, such as children or relatives, with or without their partner. The living arrangements of women aged 65 and over in the EU27 showed a different picture: 41% lived alone, 37% lived with their partner only and 21% lived with others, with or without their partner.

Living in a household with their partner only was the most common living arrangement for men aged 65 and over in all Member States, while for women this was the most common living arrangement only in Germany, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Portugal. In 2008 for both men and women aged 65 and over, the highest shares of those living with their partner only were registered in the Netherlands (75% for men and 47% for women), Germany (71% and 53%) and Sweden (71% and 47%).

Living alone was the most common living arrangement for women aged 65 and over in the majority of Member States. More than half of women of this age group lived alone in 2008 in Denmark (57%), Finland (52%) and Sweden (51%), while only in Denmark (31%), the United Kingdom (27%) and Sweden (26%) did more than one quarter of men live alone.

Living in a household with others, with or without their partner, was the most common living arrangement for women aged 65 and over in Latvia (46%), Bulgaria and Spain (both 44%) in 2008. The highest shares of men living with others were found in Spain (41%), Latvia (40%) and Greece (39%).