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The number of people 65 and older who live alone continues to increase. This demographic is expected to make up more than 20 percent of all households in 31 prefectures and Tokyo by 2050.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research's announcement on Nov. 12 contains its more detailed breakdown.

The research organization has published its estimated number of households by prefecture, indicating that the number of elderly single-person household will increase significantly in large city areas.

Establishing locations where medical and nursing care services available in these areas will be a challenge.

The organization analyzed the estimated number of households nationwide by prefecture with data published in April.

The organization updates the estimates once every five years. This time, it used the results of the 2020 national census to extrapolate out to 2050.

The overall number of households is expected to start declining in Tokyo and all prefectures from around 2045 to 2050. 

It is estimated the total number of households will drop by 5.6 percent from 2020's total to 52.61 million in 2050.

Of those 52.61 million households, single-person homes will make up the largest share at 44.3 percent. Couples with children will account for 21.5 percent and married couples without children would comprise 18.9 percent.

The number of 65-year-olds and up single-person households in this breakdown are expected to see a 46.9 percent surge to 10.84 million in 2050. This increase will be particularly noticeable in urban areas with large concentrations of homes.

In the Tokyo metropolitan area, this number is expected to rise at a pace nearing 70 percent compared to 2020, significantly surpassing the national average of 46.9 percent. 

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