For decades, the share of U.S. children living with a single parent has been rising, accompanied by a decline in wedlock rates and a rise in births outside of marriage. A new Pew Research Eye report of 130 countries and territories shows that the U.S. has the earth's highest rate of children living in single-parent households.

Almost a quarter of U.Southward. children under the historic period of 18 live with 1 parent and no other adults (23%), more than three times the share of children around the world who do then (vii%). The written report, which analyzed how people'southward living arrangements differ past organized religion, besides establish that U.Southward. children from Christian and religiously unaffiliated families are about equally likely to alive in this type of arrangement.

In comparison, iii% of children in Prc, iv% of children in Nigeria and five% of children in India live in unmarried-parent households. In neighboring Canada, the share is xv%.

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 live in single-parent households, they're much less likely to live in extended families. In the U.S., eight% of children live with relatives such every bit aunts and grandparents, compared with 38% of children globally.

Researchers have different ways of categorizing single-parent households. In this report, single-parent households accept a sole developed living with at least ane biological, step or foster child nether age 18. Some other organizations, including the U.S Census Bureau, too include households that take grandparents, other relatives or cohabiting partners present.

Economic well-being a gene in household size

Around the world, living in extended families is linked with lower levels of economical evolution: Fiscal resource stretch further and domestic chores such as childcare are more easily accomplished when shared amidst several adults living together.

The U.S., similar other economically advanced countries, peculiarly in Europe and northern Asia, has relatively small households overall. The boilerplate person in the U.S. lives in a habitation of iii.iv people – which is less than the global boilerplate of 4.ix, merely slightly higher than the European average of iii.1. In the U.S., Christians (3.4), the unaffiliated (iii.2) and Jews (iii.0) alive with roughly the same number of household members.

However, household sizes vary past age – the average U.Southward. child nether 18 lives in a household of iv.6 members, while the average developed age threescore or older only lives with one other person.

In early adulthood, Americans continue to live with their parents at relatively high rates. Adult kid households account for 20% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34. (Adult child households are defined as at least i parent living with one son or daughter 18 or older and no small-scale children or other family members.) Immature adults in the U.Due south. are similar to their Canadian counterparts in this regard, and N America has a higher share of young adults who alive in this arrangement than any other region.

U.Due south. differs in living arrangements for older adults

Americans likewise differ from others effectually in the world in their living arrangements after age 60. Older adults in the U.S. are more likely than those effectually the world to age alone: More than than a quarter of Americans ages lx and older live lone (27%), compared with a global average of 16%. There are only 14 countries with higher shares of older adults living solitary, and all are in Europe. They include Lithuania (41%), Denmark (39%) and Republic of hungary (37%).

The virtually common system for older U.S. adults, all the same, is to alive as a couple without any other children or relatives. Almost half of U.Due south. adults ages 60 and older live in such households (46%), compared with a global average of 31%. Conversely, older Americans are much less probable to live with a wider circle of relatives. Just 6% of older U.S. adults live in extended-family households, compared with 38% of adults ages sixty 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 often tied to national rates of economic prosperity and life expectancy. Older adults are more probable to live alone or as couples in countries where an average person can expect to live more than seventy years. In countries where lives are shorter, adults 60 and older tend to alive with other family members instead. Life expectancy is often linked to other markers of prosperity within a state, so older adults who can expect to alive into their 80s too tend to alive in countries where living alone is more affordable.

And in countries where governments provide fewer retirement benefits or other safety nets, families ofttimes face greater responsibility to support crumbling relatives. Cultural norms too play a role, and, in many parts of the world, it is expected that adult children will care for their aging parents.

Despite these many differences, U.Southward. household patterns are too 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.S., for example, are more likely than men in the same historic period group to live every bit single parents (9% vs. 2%), a pattern mirrored in every region and religious grouping around the world.

And women, on average, are younger than their husbands or male cohabiting partners in every country analyzed. That historic period 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.v years in Gambia. Inside the U.Southward., Jewish partners are closest in age, with only 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 explicate some of the differences in how older men and women in the U.S. live.

More than half of U.S. men ages sixty and older (55%) alive with a partner and no i else, while roughly four-in-x women (39%) do. And virtually a third of women ages 60 and older live alone (32%), while this is true of ane-in-five men in the same age group (20%).

Note: See full methodology.

Stephanie Kramer is a senior researcher focusing on religion at Pew Research Center.