Global Household Trends

Delivery

This report comes in PPT.

Key Findings

Over one in three global households are rural in 2023

In 2023, 852.5 million households lived in rural areas, up by 19% from 2000. However, despite this growth, rural households continue to face a gradual decline in their proportion compared to urban counterparts, which form a dominant 64% of the total household count. This can be attributed to urbanisation, expanding cities, lower birth rates and ageing population.

Developed countries move on four-wheelers, emerging and developing countries on two-wheelers

In developed countries, 82% of households possess a passenger car while only 9% of households possess a motorcycle. In emerging and developing countries, possession of motorcycles is predominant due to their inherent convenience, accessibility and affordability. These vehicles offer advantages such as agility and manoeuvrability, particularly in congested urban environments where infrastructure is still developing.

Among households with children, household with one child remains biggest

By 2040, the average number of children per household will be 0.8, a notable decline from the average of 1.4 children per household in 2000. Among households with children, household with one child will be biggest and grow at the fastest pace from 2023 to 2040. This can be attributed to lower fertility rate, delayed marriages, ageing population, access to family planning tools and changing attitude towards lifestyle aspirations.

Global housing stock will surpass three billion in 2040

In 2023, housing stock reached 2.3 billion globally. This trajectory is poised to continue its upward trend, with 47% absolute growth from 2023 to 2040, surpassing three billion units. The increasing demand for housing is propelled by several factors, including growing number of households, urbanisation and the rising prevalence of single-person living arrangements, which contribute to the need for more dwellings.