The number of lone-parent households in the State has risen by 20 per cent from 125,500 in 1996 to 150,600 in 2002, a report released by the Central Statistics Office shows. Two thirds of lone-parent households were in urban areas.
The report, released today, gives further detailed analysis of the census conducted on April 28th, 2002 and reveals a marked increase in the number of women aged between 25 and 34 years-old - married or cohabiting - who have no children.
The survey also revealed that households with no children were the fastest-growing category of family household in the same six-year period.
The year 2002 saw the number of households with no children reach 228,600 from 169,300 in 1996. This increase 59,300 of families made up of married and cohabiting couples with no children represented a percentage increase of nearly 35 per cent over six years.
The survey also shows a decrease in the size of the average household - from 3.14 per household in 1996 to 2.95 in 2002. The decrease is in line with a decrease in the number of children per family which has fallen from 2.2 in 1981 to 1.6 in 2002.