Bremen is booming: Every fourth lives alone - causes and challenges!

Bremen is booming: Every fourth lives alone - causes and challenges!

Bremen, Deutschland - more and more people live in Bremen alone - this is shown by a current analysis that offers exciting insights into the population. According to Buten and inner every fourth Bremer is used to living alone. With a total population of over 700,000 people, there are around 172,000 who live in a single -person household. The numbers are not only remarkable for Bremen, but also show nationwide trends: in Germany about one fifth lives alone, which corresponds to about 17 million people.

A look at the numbers shows that the proportion of people living alone in Germany has increased significantly in the past 20 years. In 2004 it was 17 percent, while it has now reached over 20 percent, which corresponds to an increase of 21.8 %, as the Federal Statistical Office . The situation among the elderly is particularly striking: 34 % of the over 65-year-olds and even 56 % of the over 85-year-olds live alone. In addition, women (21.2 %) live alone more often than men (20.0 %).

causes and developments

The reasons for this increase are diverse. Demographic change, increasing acceptance of individualization, professional mobility and also financial independence play a major role in this. However, this lifestyle also has its downside: living people alone are often particularly threatened by poverty. A current survey shows that almost 30 % of this group are at risk of poverty, which is almost twice as risk compared to the total population. The risk of poverty with the alone lived recently rose from 26.4 % (2023) to 29 % (2024), which is alarming for those affected.

Young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 are also affected, with a share of 28 % of the alone. Loneliness is particularly challenging: almost a quarter of the people who live alone admit to being lonely. This affects younger people under the age of 30, where the quota increases to 35.9 %. While loneliness and sole life often go hand in hand, it is important to emphasize that these two terms do not necessarily have to be related.

A look at Europe

In European context, Germany is one of the countries with the most people living alone. Only five EU countries have higher shares: Lithuania (27.0 %), Finland (25.8 %), Denmark (24.1 %), Estonia (22.3 %) and Sweden (22.2 %). The forecasts indicate that this trend will continue to increase in the coming years. By 2040, the proportion of one -person households in Germany could increase to over 45 %.

These developments also raise questions about social integration and support alone. The Lonelability barometer 2024 illustrates that many people who live alone are required with the challenges of life and strategies for social integration to combat the feeling of loneliness.