A shared kitchen is seen at a community center for single-person households in Seoul's Seongdong District, July 29. Yonhap

Koreans are increasingly living alone or prefer having no children even if they get married. If this trend continues, more than six out of 10 households nationwide will be childless by 2052, data showed, Tuesday.

Data released by Statistics Korea also revealed that the number of single-person households is projected to reach nearly 10 million by that year, accounting for more than 40 percent of the total estimated 23.27 million households.

The statistics agency derived this data by forecasting demographic trends related to families from 2022 to 2052, amid a rapidly declining population.

The total number of households stood at 21.66 million in 2022. It is expected to peak at 24.37 million in 2041 and fall to 23.27 million in 2052.

Under these circumstances, the proportion of single-person households out of all households nationwide is expected to rise from 34.1 percent in 2022 to 41.3 percent in 2052. The number of single-person households is projected to increase from 7.38 million to 9.62 million.

Couples living together without children accounted for 17.3 percent of all households in 2022, but this figure is expected to rise to 22.8 percent by 2052.

Consequently, the proportion of one-person households and childless families combined will climb from 51.4 percent to 64.1 percent over the 2022-52 period.

"To put it simply, more than six out of 10 households will not have children to raise," Statistics Korea noted in a release, referencing Korea's lowest birthrate in the world. The birthrate fell to 0.72 baby per woman in 2023, down from 0.78 the previous year.

The agency noted that a demographic crisis is evident in families with children. In 2022, typical families consisting of a couple and their children made up 27.3 percent of all households. This proportion is forecast to decrease to 17.4 percent by 2052. Additionally, households composed of a single parent with children are expected to represent 7.6 percent of all households, a slight decrease from 9.3 percent in 2022.

The stats agency noted the hike in the proportion of one-person households is closely linked to younger Koreans who stay single.

For instance, people in their 20s represented the largest proportion of one-person households in 2022, accounting for 18.7 percent, followed by those in their 30s at 17.2 percent.

Older adults are also increasingly accounting for a larger share of single-person households in an aging society. As people live longer, many find themselves living alone after the death of a spouse.

In 2052, one-person households consisting of individuals aged 80 and older are projected to represent the largest share, accounting for 23.8 percent of all one-person households.

From 2022 to 2052, the number of households headed by individuals aged 65 or older is expected to increase by 2.3 times, rising to 11.78 million.