Small households account for over half of Taiwan's households: DGBAS

Taipei, Aug. 22 (CNA) Smaller households are becoming more common in Taiwan amid changing marriage and childbearing patterns and population aging, with households of two people or fewer accounting for more than half of all households for the first time in 2025, government data showed.

According to the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics' (DGBAS) latest household income and expenditure survey released on Aug. 14, one- and two-person households accounted for 51.6 percent of all households last year.

Two-person households were the most common type, accounting for 34.27 percent, while one-person households made up 17.33 percent. Both figures were record highs, the survey showed.

Notably, the share of one-person households surpassed that of four-person households for the first time. According to the data, four-person households accounted for 16.63 percent of all households, compared with 23.21 percent for three-person households.

The survey -- conducted annually by the DGBAS -- collects data on household income, spending, consumption and savings, as well as household size, composition and housing conditions, providing a picture of how Taiwan's household structure is changing.

Historical data show that four-person households were the dominant household type in the 1990s, accounting for 25-27 percent of all households. Five-person households also accounted for around 20 percent in the early 1990s, but their share was already declining.

From the late 2000s, the share of four-person households also began falling and dropped below 20 percent in 2020, the data showed.