In Lleida, single-person households have become the most common type, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE). The province now has 51,323 such households, almost double the 27,519 recorded in 2001 and more than triple the 15,825 counted in 1991.
The trend is linked to an ageing population and more divorces, but the total would be even higher without other factors. Around 5,600 older people, mostly without partners, have moved into care homes. At the same time, about 9,720 people in Lleida live in multi-person households without a family core, often because they cannot afford to live alone.
If those factors were removed, single-person households in Lleida would exceed 60,000, which would be more than a third of the 180,792 total households counted by the INE. For more local coverage, see our news page.
Joan Ganau, a geography professor at the University of Lleida (UdL), said the change reflects wider social and demographic shifts. He noted that average household size in Lleida has fallen from 3.14 members in 1991 to 2.95 in 2001, and now stands at 2.5. He said this reflects a move from extended families to nuclear families, and then to a wider mix of household types.
Low birth rates are also part of the picture. Idescat data for 2021 showed more than 25,000 single-parent households in Lleida, three-quarters headed by women, close to the nearly 30,000 childless couples. Households made up of childless couples and children with only one adult reference have outnumbered traditional households for five years, while there are also around 700 separations and divorces a year, alongside more than 1,200 widowhoods annually.
Ganau said single-person households are mainly formed by younger adults living alone and by widows, who account for eight out of nine people with that civil status. He also said housing costs are limiting the number of people who can live alone, with two-thirds of those under 34 still living with their parents. He added that many students and early-career workers share homes because they cannot afford rent on their own.
He said the pattern began in large cities and has now reached rural areas. For background on the official data, see the National Statistics Institute and Idescat.
