Share of single-parent households by country
Percentage of households comprised of a single parent and his or her children (biological, step, and adopted/foster children), irrespective of children’s ages, and no one else
What the numbers show
Share of single-parent households is currently reported for 69 countries. The highest value is 16.7% in Bolivia; the lowest is 4.3% in Burkina Faso.
The median across all reporting countries is 9.6%, and the mean is 9.9%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 4.
Over the past decade 51 countries rose and 18 fell. The largest increase was in Senegal (up 80.5%), and the largest decrease in Cambodia (down 48.9%).
Share of single-parent households: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bolivia | 16.7% | 2012 | up 61.0% | rising |
| 2 | Puerto Rico | 16.2% | 2010 | up 7.3% | rising |
| 3 | Jamaica | 16.2% | 2011 | up 15.5% | rising |
| 4 | Costa Rica | 15.7% | 2018 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 5 | Dominican Republic | 15.0% | 2019 | up 14.3% | rising |
| 6 | Malawi | 14.7% | 2019 | up 40.3% | rising |
| 7 | Rwanda | 14.5% | 2020 | down 7.8% | rising |
| 8 | Belarus | 14.1% | 2019 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 9 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 13.8% | 2017 | up 76.7% | rising |
| 10 | Peru | 13.7% | 2017 | up 46.3% | rising |
| 11 | Ghana | 13.4% | 2019 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 12 | Argentina | 13.4% | 2019 | up 0.1% | rising |
| 13 | Trinidad and Tobago | 13.3% | 2006 | up 4.6% | rising |
| 14 | Honduras | 13.1% | 2019 | up 24.3% | rising |
| 15 | Zimbabwe | 13.0% | 2019 | up 17.4% | flat |
| 16 | Colombia | 12.7% | 2015 | up 5.7% | rising |
| 17 | Haiti | 12.7% | 2017 | up 4.5% | rising |
| 18 | Guatemala | 12.6% | 2015 | up 28.8% | rising |
| 19 | Kenya | 12.4% | 2020 | down 19.3% | flat |
| 20 | Guyana | 11.9% | 2019 | up 2.4% | rising |
| 21 | Togo | 11.8% | 2017 | up 12.7% | rising |
| 22 | Mozambique | 11.6% | 2018 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 23 | Panama | 11.5% | 2013 | up 6.7% | rising |
| 24 | Uganda | 11.3% | 2019 | down 4.0% | rising |
| 25 | Nepal | 11.3% | 2019 | down 25.2% | rising |
| 26 | Lesotho | 11.0% | 2018 | up 21.5% | flat |
| 27 | Benin | 10.7% | 2018 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 28 | Chad | 10.6% | 2019 | up 39.7% | rising |
| 29 | Venezuela | 10.5% | 2001 | up 7.5% | rising |
| 30 | Brazil | 10.5% | 2010 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 31 | Mexico | 10.2% | 2015 | up 11.6% | rising |
| 32 | Nicaragua | 9.9% | 2005 | up 15.5% | falling |
| 32 | Liberia | 9.9% | 2019 | up 34.2% | flat |
| 35 | Zambia | 9.6% | 2018 | up 26.0% | rising |
| 36 | Kazakhstan | 9.6% | 2015 | down 17.2% | rising |
| 37 | Madagascar | 9.5% | 2018 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 38 | Uruguay | 9.5% | 2012 | down 16.0% | rising |
| 39 | Paraguay | 9.3% | 2016 | up 6.0% | falling |
| 40 | Nigeria | 9.3% | 2018 | up 10.8% | rising |
| 41 | United States | 9.1% | 2015 | down 1.7% | rising |
| 42 | Ethiopia | 9.1% | 2019 | down 11.6% | falling |
| 43 | Central African Republic | 9.0% | 2018 | up 12.1% | rising |
| 44 | Cameroon | 8.7% | 2018 | down 5.7% | rising |
| 45 | Kyrgyzstan | 8.3% | 2018 | up 16.2% | flat |
| 46 | Mali | 8.2% | 2018 | up 52.4% | rising |
| 47 | Serbia | 8.2% | 2019 | up 19.5% | flat |
| 47 | Greece | 8.2% | 2011 | up 8.2% | rising |
| 49 | Mongolia | 8.0% | 2018 | down 19.2% | flat |
| 50 | Philippines | 7.9% | 2017 | up 27.9% | rising |
| 51 | Jordan | 7.6% | 2017 | up 17.5% | rising |
| 52 | Tanzania | 7.3% | 2015 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 53 | Morocco | 7.3% | 2014 | down 27.8% | rising |
| 54 | Vietnam | 7.2% | 2020 | up 5.8% | falling |
| 55 | India | 7.2% | 2020 | up 33.2% | rising |
| 56 | Sierra Leone | 7.2% | 2019 | up 59.6% | rising |
| 57 | Thailand | 7.1% | 2019 | down 13.2% | rising |
| 58 | Egypt | 7.1% | 2014 | down 2.1% | falling |
| 59 | Pakistan | 6.4% | 2013 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 60 | Senegal | 6.1% | 2017 | up 80.5% | rising |
| 61 | Cote d'Ivoire | 6.1% | 2016 | up 47.0% | rising |
| 62 | Cambodia | 6.0% | 2014 | down 48.9% | falling |
| 63 | Bangladesh | 6.0% | 2019 | down 7.6% | flat |
| 64 | Fiji | 5.8% | 2014 | up 12.0% | rising |
| 65 | Indonesia | 5.6% | 2017 | up 4.8% | falling |
| 66 | Laos | 5.1% | 2017 | up 13.7% | rising |
| 67 | Gambia | 5.0% | 2020 | up 14.0% | rising |
| 68 | Turkey | 4.6% | 2004 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 69 | Guinea | 4.4% | 2021 | down 18.6% | flat |
| 70 | Burkina Faso | 4.3% | 2014 | up 3.9% | rising |
About this data
Percentage of households comprised of a single parent and his or her children (biological, step, and adopted/foster children), irrespective of children’s ages, and no one else