The population and housing census of the National Institute of Statistics (INE) shows, in addition to a number of empty homes that reaches 3.8 million, a sharp increase in single-family homes. In the data, therefore, of people who live alone. And in this increase, the rebound registered among those over 65 years of age is especially striking: the figure, as of January 1, 2021, exceeded 2 million households, which translates an increase of 22% regarding the census that was closed in 2011.
In that portrait of loneliness at home especially women stand out. “In most of these homes, 70.8%, a woman resides,” explains the INE in the work published yesterday. In absolute terms, there are 1.47 million single-family homes in which a female person over the age of 65 resides. 10 years ago the figure was 1.27 million, that is, the last decade has increased by 200,000 women over 65 who live alone. Men of the same age group who live alone have also risen significantly, although always in lower figures: they are just over 600,000 people, while in 2011 the figure was around 430,000.
Observing the numbers by populations of more than 50,000 inhabitants, it is verified that in cities like Torrevieja, Torremolinos y Soria the proportion of households in which a person over 65 lives alone reaches 30%, while in Benidorm, León y Salamancao Zamora They are very close to that data. It is a mixture of typical coastal and vacation spots, such as the three Mediterranean ones, and Castilian-La Mancha cities with an aging population. On the opposite side are located, exclusively, Madrid towns. Boadilla del Monto, Pozuelo, Rivas, Las Rozas, Fuenlabrada and Coslada are the ones with the lowest proportion of older single-family homes. None of them exceeds 15%.
Beyond people over 65, single-family homes are gaining ground in all age groups and, therefore, in total terms. The slightly more than five million people who live alone there are 807,000 morewhich in turn represents an increase of 19%.
Homes in which a single person lives are still not the most common, but they are gaining ground and are already very close to homes made up of two people. This last group has decreased and has gone from representing 30% of the total to 27%; households in which only one person resides have rebounded from 23% to 27%. The tendency to live in solitude, whether sought or forced, is clear and evident.