Why has number of Czechs living alone hit nearly 40 percent?

A new iRozhlas.cz report has found a sharp rise in the number of single-occupant homes in Czechia, from 32 percent in 2011 to 39 percent a decade later. The jump is attributed to an increase in single people in major cities and more seniors, often widows, living by themselves. I discussed the findings with the report’s author, Jan Boček of Czech Radio’s data journalism team.

“There are two main causes. One of them is the increase in single-person households in the Sudetenland, which is probably mostly older people, especially ladies, because they live a bit longer than men – so most of them are widows.

“And then the other trend is the increase of single-person households among young people living in the big cities, like in Prague and in Brno and Ostrava, who are single people.”

But why are there so many? In Prague it’s 47 percent single-occupancy households – why is it so high?

“In the large cities you’ve got a lot of different lifestyles and people are using to living single, so it’s easier in bigger cities to live like this.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby