Number of New Zealanders living alone projected to grow

Death, divorce and separation are leaving more and more New Zealanders living alone, the government statistics agency said Monday.

In 2013, the number of people living alone who were divorced, separated, or widowed was 204,000 - or 63 percent of all people who lived alone - up from 133,000 in 1986, according to a report from Statistics New Zealand.

"For these people, living alone was not a choice, but rather a result of circumstances," social statistics manager Scott Ussher said.

Older women were more likely to live alone, and this could be attributed to the difference in the life expectancy between men and women.

Life expectancy at birth was 83.2 years for women and 79.5 years for men.

The number of people living by themselves had also grown.

In 2013, there were 355,000 people - or 11.2 percent of the population - living alone, up by 47,000 from 2001.

"People living alone is a relatively recent phenomenon in society but one that is becoming increasingly common," Ussher said.

In terms of home ownership, 62 percent people who lived alone owned or partly owned their own homes, compared with only 50 percent for those who lived with others.

Living alone was a phenomenon that was becoming increasingly common around the world and while the proportion of people living alone in New Zealand was relatively low, the number had been increasing since 1986 and was projected to continue to grow, said the report.

"Despite the increasing incidence of people living by themselves, we do not yet fully understand why they choose to do so," said the report. Endit