Older people living alone: the numbers by country (2026)

How many older people live alone in the US, UK, Europe, Japan, Korea and India, and how many families live abroad. Every figure with its source.

By the Athnova Care team · Updated 2026-10-16

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The short version

United States: 26% of adults aged 65 and older lived alone in 2023 — 31% of women and 19% of men (Pew Research Center, from Census data). Counted among older people living in the community, that is about 16.2 million people: 10.5 million women and 5.7 million men (Administration for Community Living).
United Kingdom: 4.3 million people aged 65 and over lived alone in 2024, up from 3.5 million in 2014 — more than half of the 8.4 million people who live alone. 40.9% of women and 27.0% of men aged 65 and over in households live alone (Office for National Statistics).
European Union: 40% of women and 19% of men aged 65 and over lived alone in 2019, from 49% of older women in Latvia to 26% in Estonia (Eurostat).
Japan: 7.37 million people aged 65 and over lived alone in 2020, 13.2% of all households. The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projects 10.84 million, 20.6% of households, by 2050.
South Korea: of the 5.66 million households headed by someone aged 65 or older in 2023, 37.8% were one person living alone (Statistics Korea) — about 2.1 million people, by our arithmetic.
Canada: 42% of people aged 85 and older in private households lived alone in 2021; 4.4 million Canadians of all ages lived alone (Statistics Canada, 2021 Census).
India: about 5.7% of people aged 60 and over live alone (Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, wave 1) — roughly 8.5 million people, our arithmetic on the 2022 count of 149 million. Seven in ten older Indians live in extended families (Pew Research Center).
Worldwide: 16% of adults aged 60 and over lived alone across the 130 countries and territories Pew Research Center studied, against 27% in the United States and fewer than 5% in Afghanistan, Mali and Algeria.

Country by country

Each country measures this differently — by age (60+, 65+ or 85+), by people or by households, and in different years — so compare the rows with care.

Place	Older people living alone	Year	Source
United States	26% of people 65+ (31% of women, 19% of men); about 16.2 million people in the community	2023	Pew Research Center; Administration for Community Living
United Kingdom	4.3 million people 65+; 40.9% of women and 27.0% of men 65+	2024	Office for National Statistics
European Union	40% of women and 19% of men 65+ (Latvia 49% of older women, Estonia 26%)	2019	Eurostat
Japan	7.37 million people 65+; 10.84 million projected for 2050	2020	National Institute of Population and Social Security Research
South Korea	37.8% of 5.66 million households headed by someone 65+	2023	Statistics Korea
Canada	42% of people 85+ in private households	2021	Statistics Canada
India	5.7% of people 60+ (about 8.5 million)	2017–18 survey	LASI wave 1 (IIPS)
130 countries and territories	16% of people 60+	2010–2018 data	Pew Research Center

Families who live far away

304 million people lived outside the country they were born in by mid-2024, 3.7% of the world population and nearly twice the 153.9 million of 1990 (UN Population Division estimates, via the Migration Policy Institute).
37.3 million overseas Indians: 17.8 million Indian citizens living abroad and 19.5 million people of Indian origin (Ministry of External Affairs, January 2026). The numbers for India and for Indians abroad are on our page about India.
2.19 million Filipinos were working overseas in 2024, most of them in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (Philippine Statistics Authority, Survey on Overseas Filipinos).

Why it matters: loneliness and falls

One person in six worldwide is affected by loneliness, and the World Health Organization estimates it is linked to about 871,000 deaths a year — around 100 every hour (WHO Commission on Social Connection, June 2025).
684,000 people die from falls each year, the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after road traffic injuries, and adults over 60 suffer the greatest number of fatal falls (WHO).
About 37.3 million falls a year are severe enough to need medical attention (WHO).

What the numbers mean for families

In the richest countries about one older person in four lives alone, and far more women than men. In India, the Gulf and much of Asia few live alone — but many live with only a spouse, while their children work in another city or another country. Either way the danger is the same: a fall, a stroke or a fever that nobody notices for a day.

The cheapest safety net is a daily signal: a call, a message, a neighbour who knocks. Athnova Care is one way to automate it — one WhatsApp message a day in the parent’s language (21 languages), a phone call if it is not answered, and an alert to the family — and there are others; our comparison pages list them with their prices.

How to cite this page

Athnova Care (2026). "Older people living alone: the numbers by country." https://athnova.in/guides/older-people-living-alone-statistics-by-country/ — please cite the original sources below as well; each figure comes from one of them.

Questions families ask

What percentage of older people live alone in the US?

26% of adults aged 65 and older in 2023 — 31% of women and 19% of men — according to Pew Research Center’s analysis of Census data. About 16.2 million older Americans living in the community live alone (Administration for Community Living).

How many over-65s live alone in the UK?

4.3 million in 2024, up from 3.5 million in 2014, according to the Office for National Statistics — more than half of the 8.4 million people who live alone in the UK.

How many elderly people live alone in Japan?

7.37 million people aged 65 and over in 2020, and 10.84 million projected by 2050 — one household in five — according to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.

Which country has the most older people living alone?

Of the countries on this page, the United States has the most (about 16 million people), and Japan the highest share of households (13.2%, rising to 20.6% by 2050). In the European Union, Latvia has the highest share of older women living alone (49%).

Is living alone in old age common worldwide?

Less common than in rich countries: across 130 countries and territories, 16% of adults aged 60 and over live alone (Pew Research Center), against about one in four in the United States and the UK, and fewer than 5% in Afghanistan, Mali and Algeria.

How many people live outside the country they were born in?

About 304 million in mid-2024, 3.7% of the world population and nearly double the 1990 figure, according to UN Population Division estimates.

Sources

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