Living Arrangements in Flux: Cohabitation, Living Alone, and the Return of the Boomerang Generation

The Office for National Statistics “Families and households in the UK: 2024” report highlighted that there has been a shift in the traditional family structure. In particular, the data reveals a shift in living arrangements which reflects broader societal changes and current economic pressures, most notably the ongoing cost of living crisis. 

The key takeaways from the report are:

• Between 2014 and 2024 there has been an increase in people living alone from 7.6 million to 8.4 million. Of those people living alone a larger proportion of them are now aged 65 of over.
• 28% of people aged between 20 and 34 still live with their parents. 
• More couples are living together without getting married.
• There continues to be a trend of a reduction in the number of couples getting married or entering into civil partnerships. 

Cohabitation on the rise

Over the past decade, the proportion of family households that are cohabiting couples has increased from 16.4% to 17.7%. This shift suggests a growing acceptance of cohabitation as a viable alternative to marriage or civil partnerships. Perhaps people are more hesitant to tie the knot because they have read about highly contentious celebrity divorces – Kim Kardashian and Kayne West’s divorce now has its own documentary, or perhaps the cost of the wedding itself may simply be unaffordable in the current financial climate - in May 2025 Hitched (a wedding planning website) reported that the average wedding in the UK costs £23,250. 

What many people who choose to cohabit may not realise is that as cohabitants they would have very little legal protection upon the breakdown of their relationship or the death of their partner, and that being married or in a civil partnership would give them much greater legal rights.

The cost of living crisis and the boomerang generation

Affordability is clearly also having an impact on other family household dynamics, with the return of the "boomerang generation" - young adults who return to live with their parents having previously lived independently, for example after university. It is extremely difficult for young adults to get on the property ladder, but their return home may have significant financial implications for their parents, who may find their plans to downsize or save for retirement impacted by them having to shoulder the financial burden of having adult children at home. 

Having a child return to live at home may be particularly hard for a parent who lives alone, perhaps following the breakdown of a relationship or a divorce. Whilst it may be nice to have the company and emotional support, provision may not have been made in any financial settlement for the parent to have their adult child living with them on a permanent basis. The law in England and Wales requires first consideration to be given to the welfare of any minor child, i.e. a child under 18. Whilst in some cases provision may be made to house children over 18 who are still in full time education, this will depend on the financial circumstances of the parties. Divorced couples may find themselves living alongside their adult children in a significantly smaller property than the former matrimonial home, which was purchased with a view to accommodating their adult children for short visits only. 

Living Alone: A Growing Trend Among Older Adults

What happens then when the adult children are able to afford to move out? The statistics suggest that that there has been an increase in the number of people living alone. This growth of over 10% in the decade from 2014 to 2024 outpaces the overall population growth of 7% over the same period. Notably, half of those living alone are aged 65 or over. This rise in older adults living alone may be attributable to the increase in life expectancy or perhaps people are becoming more reluctant to commence relationships later in life following the breakdown of a marriage or other long-term relationship. What will the implications be for these people long-term as costs rise, they grow older and require more support?

It will be interesting to see how the trends in the type of family households develop over the coming years.