THE HAGUE, 03/10/06 - The Netherlands had 2.5 million single-person households on 1 January, nearly 400,000 more than ten years ago. About one in six men and one in five women were living alone.

The proportion of men and women (aged 15 years or more) living alone increased in virtually all age groups since 1996. The only exception is women aged 55-74. They were less likely to be widowed because men are living longer, the Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS) reported yesterday.

Differences between men and women are most marked in the 55-74 age group, in which women are often living alone because the husband has died. Men however are more often living alone following a divorce, in which the woman takes the children.

Almost all those living alone aged below 35 have or want to have a relationship. For 35-64 year old men, the picture is different: one in five definitely do not want a steady relationship. Among the solo women in this age group, one in four do not want a steady partner.

Among the women not wanting a steady relationship, one-third say that bad experiences from previous relationships played a role in their choice of remaining alone. For men, this is one in four. Freedom plays an important role for both men and women in the wish to remain alone.