The stacked bar charts compare the percentages of UK households comprising between one and six people in 1981 and 2001.
Overall, smaller households became increasingly prevalent over the period, whereas the proportions of households containing three or more people declined. Two-person households remained the largest category in both years, while six-person households accounted for the smallest share. Notably, one-person households experienced the most substantial increase.
In 1981, two-person households represented the largest proportion, at 31%, followed by those comprising three and four people, at 20% and 18%, respectively. One-person households accounted for 17% of the total, while larger households were less common: the figures for five- and six-person households stood at 8% and 6%, respectively.
By 2001, the proportion of one-person households had risen markedly by 9 percentage points, reaching 26%. Two-person households also increased, from 31% to 34%, consolidating their position as the most prevalent category. In contrast, all household types containing more than two people experienced declines. The proportions of three- and four-person households both fell by three percentage points, to 17% and 15%, respectively. Meanwhile, five-person households decreased from 8% to 6%, and six-person households saw the sharpest proportional decline among the larger household categories, falling from 6% to just 2%.