For decades, the share of U.S. children living with a single parent has been rising, accompanied by a decline in marriage rates and a ascension in births exterior of marriage. A new Pew Research Center study of 130 countries and territories shows that the U.South. has the world's highest rate of children living in single-parent households.

Almost a quarter of U.S. children under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adults (23%), more than three times the share of children around the globe who do then (7%). The study, which analyzed how people'south living arrangements differ by religion, also found that U.S. children from Christian and religiously unaffiliated families are well-nigh equally likely to live in this type of organization.

In comparison, 3% of children in China, 4% of children in Nigeria and 5% of children in Republic of india live in single-parent households. In neighboring Canada, the share is 15%.

About a quarter of U.S. children live in single-parent homes, more than in any other country

While U.South. children are more likely than children elsewhere to alive in unmarried-parent households, they're much less likely to alive in extended families. In the U.S., eight% of children live with relatives such as aunts and grandparents, compared with 38% of children globally.

Researchers have dissimilar means of categorizing unmarried-parent households. In this written report, single-parent households have a sole adult living with at to the lowest degree 1 biological, step or foster kid nether age 18. Some other organizations, including the U.Southward Census Agency, besides include households that accept grandparents, other relatives or cohabiting partners nowadays.

Economic well-existence a factor in household size

Around the world, living in extended families is linked with lower levels of economic development: Financial resources stretch farther and domestic chores such as childcare are more easily accomplished when shared among several adults living together.

The U.S., like other economically advanced countries, particularly in Europe and northern Asia, has relatively small households overall. The average person in the U.South. lives in a home of iii.4 people – which is less than the global boilerplate of 4.9, only slightly higher than the European boilerplate of 3.1. In the U.Due south., Christians (3.4), the unaffiliated (3.ii) and Jews (iii.0) alive with roughly the same number of household members.

However, household sizes vary by age – the average U.S. child nether xviii lives in a household of 4.half-dozen members, while the average developed age sixty or older just lives with one other person.

In early adulthood, Americans keep to live with their parents at relatively high rates. Developed child households account for 20% of Americans betwixt the ages of xviii and 34. (Adult child households are defined every bit at least 1 parent living with one son or daughter xviii or older and no pocket-size children or other family unit members.) Young adults in the U.S. are similar to their Canadian counterparts in this regard, and Northward America has a higher share of young adults who alive in this arrangement than any other region.

U.S. differs in living arrangements for older adults

Americans likewise differ from others around in the earth in their living arrangements after age 60. Older adults in the U.Due south. are more likely than those around the world to historic period alone: More than a quarter of Americans ages threescore and older live alone (27%), compared with a global boilerplate of 16%. There are only xiv countries with higher shares of older adults living alone, and all are in Europe. They include Lithuania (41%), Kingdom of denmark (39%) and Hungary (37%).

The well-nigh common organisation for older U.Due south. adults, however, is to live every bit a couple without whatsoever other children or relatives. About one-half of U.Southward. adults ages 60 and older alive in such households (46%), compared with a global average of 31%. Conversely, older Americans are much less likely to live with a wider circle of relatives. Simply 6% of older U.S. adults alive in extended-family households, compared with 38% of adults ages lx and older globally.

Globally, 38% live in extended-family homes, but in the U.S. only 11% do

Living in smaller households after age 60 is oftentimes tied to national rates of economic prosperity and life expectancy. Older adults are more than probable to live alone or as couples in countries where an boilerplate person can expect to live more than than 70 years. In countries where lives are shorter, adults 60 and older tend to live with other family unit members instead. Life expectancy is ofttimes linked to other markers of prosperity within a country, then older adults who can expect to live into their 80s also tend to live in countries where living alone is more affordable.

And in countries where governments provide fewer retirement benefits or other prophylactic nets, families often face greater responsibility to back up crumbling relatives. Cultural norms also play a office, and, in many parts of the world, it is expected that developed children will intendance for their aging parents.

Despite these many differences, U.S. household patterns are also similar to those in other countries in some ways, and a few of these commonalities are tied to gender.

Women ages 35 to 59 in the U.South., for instance, are more likely than men in the same age group to live as unmarried parents (nine% vs. 2%), a pattern mirrored in every region and religious group effectually the world.

And women, on average, are younger than their husbands or male cohabiting partners in every state analyzed. That age gap is 2.2 years in the U.S. and in the rest of the world ranges from 2 years in the Czech Republic to 14.5 years in Gambia. Inside the U.S., Jewish partners are closest in age, with but one year between them, while Christians and the unaffiliated have an equal gap (2.2 years).

Coupled with women's longer life expectancy, this tendency helps explain some of the differences in how older men and women in the U.S. live.

More than one-half of U.Southward. men ages 60 and older (55%) live with a partner and no i else, while roughly 4-in-x women (39%) exercise. And almost a third of women ages 60 and older live lonely (32%), while this is true of one-in-five men in the same age group (20%).

Note: See full methodology.

Stephanie Kramer is a senior researcher focusing on faith at Pew Research Eye.