Living alone used to be seen as a temporary phase.
Now it is starting to look like the default setting.
New data from the US Census Bureau shows the share of one-person households in America has climbed to an all-time high, as solo living rises across age groups and becomes a broader cultural shift happening across the developed world.
The Viral App That Accidentally Became a Social Trend Story
This story starts in China, where a new iPhone app called Sile Me (rough translation: “Are You Dead?”) shot to the top of the paid App Store charts.
The app costs just 8 yuan (about $1.15) and does exactly one thing: lets users press a big button to confirm they are alive.
If the user does not check in for two consecutive days, the app contacts an emergency contact.
It is morbid. It is simple. And it is going viral for a reason.
Solo Living Is Exploding, Not Just in China
Sile Me is shining a spotlight on a fast-growing reality: more people are living alone.
Research suggests China could have as many as 200 million one-person households by 2030, driven partly by aging but also by younger people increasingly embracing solo living.
And the US is seeing the same thing.
The US Just Hit a Record: 29% of Households Are One Person
According to the US Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey for 2025:
the number of one-person households is nearing 40 million
the share of US households made up of just one person hit a record 29%
That is an estimated 1.3 million more one-person households in 2025 compared with the prior year.
The Census Bureau noted some of this may reflect demographic changes and methodological updates, but the longer-term rise over the past decade points to something bigger happening socially.
It Is a Global Shift, Not an American Quirk
The Economist noted in November that the share of people living alone increased in 26 out of 30 rich countries since 2010.
So this is not just a US trend or a China trend. It is a wealthy-country trend.
What Is Driving It: Fewer Marriages + More Older Adults
Two big forces are pushing this trend higher:
Marriage rates are falling across the US, China, and other developed countries, alongside rising incomes and louder cultural debates about traditional relationships.
Aging populations are accelerating the shift. In the US, adults aged 65+ are statistically the most likely to live alone, and that age group is expected to keep growing rapidly.
Bottom line: whether it is a $1 “are you dead” app going viral in China or Census data hitting record highs in the US, the signal is the same. More people are living alone than ever before, and solo living is turning from an exception into the new normal.