IRELAND TOPS AN EU survey, alongside Latvia, for the amount of children living in single-parent households.

The figures in the survey undertaken in 2008 by Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, show that three out of four children in the EU lived with married parents in 2008 while one child in seven lived in a single parent household.

The percentage of the highest amount of children living with one parent in 2008 was shared by Ireland and Latvia – 23 per cent, just above Estonia and the United Kingdom, which stood at 21 per cent.

In Ireland, 67.8 per cent of children lived with married parents (below the EU average of 73.8 per cent), while 7.4 per cent lived with cohabiting parents – below the EU average of 11.5 per cent.

Also, 1.6 per cent of Irish children lived without parents, above the EU average of 1.2 per cent.

The survey looked at children under 18 and adults over 65 years of age.

The survey also shows that in Ireland, 38.8 per cent of women aged over 65 lived alone, compared with 23 per cent of men above 65 years old. The EU average was 41.2 per cent for women and 19.7 per cent for men.

While 36.4 per cent of these women lived with a partner, 53.8 per cent of men did. The EU average was 37.4 per cent for women and 60 per cent for men.

And when it comes to living with others (with or without a partner), the figure stood at 24.8 per cent for women, and 22.9 per cent for men – above the EU averages of 21.4 per cent and 20.4 per cent respectively.

The report also reveals that living alone was the most common living arrangement for women aged 65 and over in the majority of member states.

The living arrangements of women aged 65 and over in the 27 member states showed that 41 per cent lived alone, 37 per cent lived with their partner only, and 21 per cent lived with others, with or without their partner.

Living in a household with their partner only was the most common living arrangement for men aged 65 and over in all member states.

The highest share of men living with others was in Spain (41 per cent).

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