New data finds that the number of single-person households in South Korea topped eight million for the first time to account for more than 36 percent of all households.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Tuesday, there were eight million 45-thousand single-person households in 2024, accounting for 36-point-one percent of all households.

By age bracket, nearly 20 percent of single-person households were aged 70 or older, 17-point-eight percent aged 29 or under and 17-point-six percent were in their 60s. 

By region, four out of ten such households resided in the Seoul metro area.

Some 22 percent of single-person households lived in Gyeonggi Province, 20-point-six percent in Seoul, nearly seven percent in Busan and around six percent in South Gyeongsang Province. 

The statistics agency also found that 48-point-nine percent of single-person households said they feel lonely. That's ten-point-seven percentage points higher than the percentages posted in all households.