The number of single-parent homes and single-person households grew to almost half of the country’s total family units, reflecting demographic changes that came with more people living alone and divorces, Statistics Korea said Wednesday.

More than 48 percent were households with one or two occupants in 2010, up from 29.6 percent in 1995. The average number of occupants per household dropped to 2.69 for 2010, from 3.4 in 1995.

“The sharp increase can be attributed to the rise in single adults and couples putting off having kids, as well as divorces and separations through death,” the state agency said.

The agency attributed the surge in single-person households also to an increasing number of senior citizens living alone. In contrast, homes with more than three members fell from 81.8 percent to 51.8 percent in the same period.

The agency forecast the trend to continue throughout the next decade, especially among senior citizens. It already saw the number of people living alone who were aged 65 or more surging from 550,000 in 2000 to 1.02 million in 2010. The figure is projected to rise to 1.51 million in 2020 and further to 2.34 million in 2030, more than 11 percent of households.

The number of single-parent homes more than doubled, rising from 390,000 in 1995 to 860,000 in 2010.

“Such developments reflect in part the steady dissolution of conventional families in the country as people no longer view divorce as a social stigma,” an official was quoted as saying. The country’s population grew 8.9 percent during the 15 years cited, rising from 44.61 million in 1995 to 45.58 million in 2010.

By Cynthia J. Kim (cynthiak@heraldcorp.com)