Living alone makes us

MIDDLE-aged people who live alone are likely to be short of money and more miserable than couples, research reveals.

The Office for National Statistics found half of those who live by themselves have no money left at the end of the month. They also suffer much lower levels of happiness and higher levels of anxiety.

The number of Britons living on their own reached 7.7million in 2017, the ONS found, up nearly 1.25million in 20 years – a rate of increase faster than the population as a whole. By 2039, the number of one-person households is projected to rise to 10.7million.

While the number of those living alone under the age of 44 had fallen, there was a jump of more than 50 per cent in numbers of people aged 45 to 64 who lived on their own.

Analysts pointed to the ageing baby boom generation and the impact of divorce.

The increase was ‘partly due to the large number of children born in the 1960s reaching this age, but may also be down to a change in our relationships,’ said researchers, adding: ‘More people in this age group are divorced or single.’

More than four in ten 55 to 64-year-olds living on their own were divorced, the report said, adding that this may explain some of