Two-Person Households Set to Exceed 30% in South Korea for First Time
Government projections show one- and two-person homes will continue reshaping South Korea’s household structure in 2027, while the number of larger households declines.
Two-person households are projected to account for more than 30 percent of all households in South Korea for the first time in 2027, underscoring how demographic aging and smaller family units are reshaping the country’s living arrangements.
Government household projections released Tuesday put the number of two-person homes at 6.89 million next year, an increase of 2.1 percent from 2026. Their share of the national total is expected to rise from 29.9 percent to 30.2 percent.
That would place two-person households ahead of three- and four-person households combined. Three-person homes are forecast to decrease 0.4 percent to 4.12 million, while four-person homes are expected to fall 2.9 percent to 2.61 million. Together, those two groups would represent 29.5 percent of all households.
South Korea is projected to have 22.81 million households in total in 2027, up 0.9 percent from this year, even as the country’s population declines. The divergence reflects continued growth in smaller households rather than an increase in the number of residents.
One-person households are expected to remain the largest group. Their number is forecast to rise 2.3 percent to 8.55 million, representing 37.5 percent of the total. Households with five or more members, by contrast, are projected to number 634,000 and account for just 2.8 percent.
Aging is also an important part of the shift. Among two-person households, 44.3 percent are expected to be headed by someone aged 65 or older next year, an increase of 1.3 percentage points from 2026. The figure points to a growing concentration of older people in small households, with implications for housing, health care and community support services.
The changes are expected to continue over the coming decades. One-person households are projected to keep increasing in number until 2043, while two-person households are forecast to peak in 2047. Their shares of the national total are nevertheless expected to continue climbing through 2052.
By 2052, one-person homes are projected to represent 41.3 percent of all households and two-person homes 35.5 percent. The shares of three- and four-person households are expected to contract to 15.2 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively.
The projections indicate that public policy and private services will increasingly need to be designed around smaller households. Housing supply, neighborhood care networks and consumer markets may all face pressure to adapt as the traditional multi-person household becomes less common.