Share of children living with a single parent by country
The percentage of children aged 0-17 living with a single parent.
Countries reporting
34
Highest
31.4%
Lithuania
Lowest
6.5%
Greece
Median
17.4%
Years covered
23
2001–2023
Data points
630
What the numbers show
Share of children living with a single parent is currently reported for 34 countries. The highest value is 31.4% in Lithuania; the lowest is 6.5% in Greece.
The median across all reporting countries is 17.4%, and the mean is 16.6%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 5.
Over the past decade 17 countries rose and 17 fell. The largest increase was in Finland (up 40.3%), and the largest decrease in Austria (down 46.6%).
Share of children living with a single parent: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithuania | 31.4% | 2023 | up 24.1% | rising |
| 2 | France | 26.6% | 2023 | up 23.7% | rising |
| 3 | United States | 25.1% | 2023 | down 9.7% | flat |
| 4 | Norway | 23.4% | 2023 | up 28.6% | rising |
| 5 | Sweden | 21.9% | 2023 | up 15.3% | rising |
| 6 | Bulgaria | 21.6% | 2023 | up 29.3% | rising |
| 7 | Latvia | 21.2% | 2023 | down 30.9% | falling |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 20.8% | 2018 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 9 | Belgium | 20.1% | 2023 | down 11.8% | flat |
| 10 | Finland | 19.5% | 2023 | up 40.3% | rising |
| 11 | Canada | 19.1% | 2021 | down 6.0% | flat |
| 12 | Iceland | 18.7% | 2019 | up 4.5% | rising |
| 13 | Hungary | 18.6% | 2023 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 14 | Germany | 18.5% | 2023 | up 19.4% | rising |
| 15 | Malta | 18.4% | 2023 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 16 | Ireland | 17.9% | 2023 | down 12.3% | falling |
| 17 | Denmark | 17.6% | 2023 | down 18.1% | falling |
| 18 | Portugal | 17.2% | 2023 | down 11.8% | rising |
| 19 | Spain | 15.8% | 2023 | up 10.5% | rising |
| 20 | Switzerland | 14.9% | 2023 | up 38.0% | rising |
| 21 | Czechia | 14.2% | 2023 | up 1.4% | falling |
| 21 | Slovakia | 14.2% | 2023 | up 5.2% | rising |
| 23 | Estonia | 14.1% | 2023 | down 18.0% | falling |
| 24 | Italy | 14.0% | 2023 | up 15.7% | rising |
| 25 | Netherlands | 13.9% | 2023 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 26 | Luxembourg | 13.7% | 2023 | down 0.7% | rising |
| 27 | Cyprus | 11.0% | 2023 | up 8.9% | rising |
| 27 | Romania | 11.0% | 2023 | up 12.2% | rising |
| 29 | Austria | 10.1% | 2023 | down 46.6% | falling |
| 30 | Slovenia | 9.5% | 2023 | down 24.0% | falling |
| 31 | Croatia | 8.5% | 2023 | down 8.6% | rising |
| 32 | Poland | 8.3% | 2023 | down 17.0% | falling |
| 33 | Turkey | 6.9% | 2023 | up 25.5% | rising |
| 34 | Greece | 6.5% | 2023 | down 11.0% | rising |
About this data
The percentage of children aged 0-17 living with a single parent.