Where are the single people? Census data for Ireland and the UK

Name: Share of single adults by area in Ireland and the UK (census)
Creator: Cravnn
Published: 2026-11-10

By the Cravnn team · Updated November 2026 · Official census data

The short answerAmong 25 to 34 year olds, the highest share who are single in the latest census is Lambeth (85.7%, England and Wales). 6 of the top ten are London boroughs. The tables below cover Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

We took the official census tables on legal partnership status and worked out, for each area, the share of adults who are single: not married and not in a civil partnership. Because the age profile of a place changes the answer so much, the first table uses one age band, 25 to 34, with a matching definition in Ireland, England and Wales, and Scotland. Areas with fewer than 5,000 people in that band are left out.

Highest share of single 25 to 34 year olds

#	Area	Country	Single	Aged 25 to 34
1	Lambeth	England and Wales	85.7%	81,898
2	Islington	England and Wales	84.0%	56,063
3	Southwark	England and Wales	83.4%	73,226
4	Wandsworth	England and Wales	82.5%	86,123
5	Hackney	England and Wales	82.4%	63,480
6	Brighton and Hove	England and Wales	81.9%	41,469
7	Hammersmith and Fulham	England and Wales	81.3%	42,790
8	Knowsley	England and Wales	80.5%	22,304
9	Cork City	Ireland	80.3%	34,621
10	Liverpool	England and Wales	80.2%	75,397
11	Dublin City	Ireland	79.7%	118,291
12	Bristol	England and Wales	79.6%	88,255
13	Kensington and Chelsea	England and Wales	79.5%	25,142
14	Camden	England and Wales	79.1%	42,543
15	Lewisham	England and Wales	79.0%	58,431
16	Westminster	England and Wales	78.9%	44,166
17	Sefton	England and Wales	78.6%	32,373
18	Cambridge	England and Wales	78.6%	29,817
19	Galway City	Ireland	78.4%	14,308
20	Gwynedd	England and Wales	78.4%	13,126
21	Blackpool	England and Wales	78.1%	18,071
22	Glasgow City	Scotland	78.0%	113,377
23	Kilkenny County	Ireland	77.7%	10,834
24	Wirral	England and Wales	77.5%	37,622
25	Kerry County	Ireland	77.4%	15,318

Sources: CSO Census 2022 (FY057), ONS Census 2021 (RM074), National Records of Scotland Census 2022 (UV104b). Northern Ireland publishes this measure only in wider age bands, so it is not in this table.

Ireland: towns and cities

Share of residents aged 15 and over who are single, by CSO town. Census 2022.

#	Area	Single	Adults
1	Galway city and suburbs	54.5%	72,578
2	Sligo	50.2%	17,230
3	Limerick city and suburbs	49.8%	84,309
4	Maynooth	48.6%	13,839
5	Cork city and suburbs	48.5%	185,655
6	Dublin city and suburbs	48.3%	1,039,012
7	Carlow	46.9%	21,836
8	Waterford city and suburbs	46.6%	48,743
9	Athlone	46.6%	18,198
10	Dundalk	46.5%	33,897
11	Tralee	46.5%	21,299
12	Castlebar	46.2%	10,559
13	Athy	46.1%	8,511
14	Enniscorthy	45.7%	9,771
15	Thurles	45.4%	6,690

See all 78 areas

share of residents aged 15+ who are single (not married and not in a civil partnership), by CSO town / settlement. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland, Census 2022 - Population by Towns 2022, marital status and sex (SAP2022T1T2TOWN22 (+ SAP2022T1T1TOWN22 for age)), Census 2022.

#	Area	Single	Adults
1	Galway city and suburbs	54.5%	72,578
2	Sligo	50.2%	17,230
3	Limerick city and suburbs	49.8%	84,309
4	Maynooth	48.6%	13,839
5	Cork city and suburbs	48.5%	185,655
6	Dublin city and suburbs	48.3%	1,039,012
7	Carlow	46.9%	21,836
8	Waterford city and suburbs	46.6%	48,743
9	Athlone	46.6%	18,198
10	Dundalk	46.5%	33,897
11	Tralee	46.5%	21,299
12	Castlebar	46.2%	10,559
13	Athy	46.1%	8,511
14	Enniscorthy	45.7%	9,771
15	Thurles	45.4%	6,690
16	Gorey	45.3%	8,926
17	New Ross	45.2%	6,990
18	Letterkenny	44.9%	17,701
19	Ballina	44.5%	8,319
20	Dungarvan	44.3%	8,151
21	Kilkenny	44.2%	21,887
22	Kinsealy-Drinan	44.2%	5,558
23	Longford	44.1%	8,487
24	Kildare	44.1%	7,937
25	Killarney	44.0%	11,918
26	Wexford	43.7%	17,589
27	Portlaoise	43.6%	17,986
28	Monaghan	43.6%	6,402
29	Kells	43.5%	5,206
30	Drogheda	43.2%	35,128
31	Ennis	43.1%	22,301
32	Balbriggan	43.1%	18,141
33	Mullingar	43.0%	17,563
34	Tullamore	43.0%	12,343
35	Portarlington	43.0%	7,023
36	Westport	43.0%	5,600
37	Fermoy	43.0%	5,433
38	Nenagh	42.9%	7,820
39	Youghal	42.9%	6,980
40	Arklow	42.6%	10,632
41	Clonmel	42.4%	15,000
42	Newcastle West	42.4%	5,648
43	Cobh	42.3%	11,281
44	Ballinasloe	42.2%	5,167
45	Tuam	42.0%	7,462
46	Newbridge	41.9%	19,229
47	Navan	41.8%	25,927
48	Midleton	41.8%	10,758
49	Swords	41.7%	32,101
50	Bray	41.7%	27,507
51	Cavan	41.7%	8,885
52	Rush	41.6%	8,447
53	Kilcock	41.6%	6,348
54	Mallow	41.5%	10,471
55	Lusk	41.3%	6,448
56	Edenderry	41.1%	6,171
57	Shannon	41.0%	8,232
58	Bandon	41.0%	6,444
59	Ratoath	40.6%	7,654
60	Donabate	40.4%	7,350
61	Tramore	40.2%	9,063
62	Clane	40.1%	6,293
63	Dunboyne	40.0%	5,681
64	Trim	39.9%	7,538
65	Naas	39.6%	20,545
66	Celbridge	39.1%	16,276
67	Wicklow	38.8%	10,341
68	Dunshaughlin	38.8%	5,074
69	Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney	38.2%	11,889
70	Carrigaline	38.1%	13,899
71	Leixlip	38.1%	13,450
72	Roscommon	38.1%	5,058
73	Ashbourne	37.8%	11,575
74	Buncrana	37.5%	5,462
75	Skerries	35.8%	8,414
76	Greystones-Delgany	33.8%	16,847
77	Malahide	33.5%	14,896
78	Portmarnock	31.5%	8,460

England and Wales: local authorities

Share of residents aged 16 and over who are single (never married, never in a civil partnership). Census 2021.

#	Area	Single	Adults
1	Lambeth	62.2%	268,943
2	Islington	62.0%	183,630
3	Hackney	60.2%	209,469
4	Southwark	59.9%	256,140
5	Tower Hamlets	58.3%	252,885
6	City of London	57.4%	8,003
7	Hammersmith and Fulham	56.5%	154,628
8	Cambridge	56.5%	124,769
9	Manchester	55.8%	437,957
10	Wandsworth	55.8%	273,558
11	Camden	55.7%	177,909
12	Oxford	55.5%	136,719
13	Nottingham	55.2%	264,321
14	Westminster	54.4%	177,467
15	Liverpool	53.4%	403,027

See all 331 areas

share of residents aged 16+ who are single (never married and never registered a civil partnership), by local authority. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), TS002 - Legal partnership status (Census 2021, England and Wales) (TS002), Census 2021.

#	Area	Single	Adults
1	Lambeth	62.2%	268,943
2	Islington	62.0%	183,630
3	Hackney	60.2%	209,469
4	Southwark	59.9%	256,140
5	Tower Hamlets	58.3%	252,885
6	City of London	57.4%	8,003
7	Hammersmith and Fulham	56.5%	154,628
8	Cambridge	56.5%	124,769
9	Manchester	55.8%	437,957
10	Wandsworth	55.8%	273,558
11	Camden	55.7%	177,909
12	Oxford	55.5%	136,719
13	Nottingham	55.2%	264,321
14	Westminster	54.4%	177,467
15	Liverpool	53.4%	403,027
16	Lewisham	53.4%	242,410
17	Bristol	52.8%	389,708
18	Norwich	52.4%	120,759
19	Brighton and Hove	52.2%	235,366
20	Haringey	51.7%	215,998
21	Lincoln	51.1%	87,064
22	Salford	50.6%	216,923
23	Newcastle upon Tyne	50.0%	248,450
24	Kensington and Chelsea	49.2%	123,089
25	Exeter	48.7%	111,333
26	Cardiff	48.6%	296,306
27	Southampton	47.5%	204,368
28	Newham	47.1%	276,173
29	Greenwich	47.1%	229,747
30	Waltham Forest	46.8%	222,181
31	Greater London (33 boroughs combined)	46.2%	7,103,987
32	Portsmouth	46.2%	170,823
33	Kingston upon Hull	45.8%	213,876
34	Knowsley	45.6%	124,299
35	Reading	45.5%	141,358
36	Birmingham	44.9%	889,623
37	Leeds	44.6%	658,468
38	Sheffield	44.2%	456,251
39	Coventry	44.0%	276,873
40	Brent	43.5%	275,143
41	Leicester	43.1%	291,012
42	Middlesbrough	43.1%	113,938
43	Preston	43.0%	118,669
44	Croydon	42.9%	310,398
45	York	42.8%	172,084
46	Merton	41.8%	172,774
47	Barking and Dagenham	41.8%	161,744
48	Ealing	41.7%	295,368
49	Bath and North East Somerset	41.3%	161,616
50	Canterbury	41.2%	132,774
51	Blackpool	40.9%	116,343
52	Welwyn Hatfield	40.9%	97,483
53	Enfield	40.7%	257,182
54	Lancaster	40.4%	119,639
55	Plymouth	40.2%	218,627
56	Ipswich	40.2%	111,831
57	Gwynedd	40.1%	97,969
58	Derby	40.0%	209,194
59	Stoke-on-Trent	40.0%	205,900
60	Tameside	40.0%	185,135
61	Worcester	40.0%	85,610
62	Swansea	39.9%	197,856
63	Wolverhampton	39.8%	208,442
64	Runnymede	39.7%	72,713
65	Hastings	39.6%	74,706
66	Harlow	39.6%	73,106
67	Cheltenham	39.5%	98,436
68	Sandwell	39.4%	266,024
69	Kingston upon Thames	39.4%	135,463
70	Guildford	39.3%	119,354
71	Halton	39.3%	103,946
72	Merthyr Tydfil	39.3%	47,679
73	Charnwood	39.1%	153,104
74	Luton	38.9%	172,698
75	Gloucester	38.9%	106,941
76	Rhondda Cynon Taf	38.8%	193,843
77	Gateshead	38.8%	161,749
78	Sunderland	38.7%	226,068
79	Ceredigion	38.7%	61,389
80	Blaenau Gwent	38.7%	55,142
81	Thurrock	38.6%	136,364
82	Rochdale	38.5%	174,949
83	Southend-on-Sea	38.5%	146,410
84	Newport	38.5%	127,422
85	Barnet	38.4%	309,353
86	Crawley	38.4%	93,565
87	Hartlepool	38.4%	74,684
88	Hounslow	38.3%	228,679
89	Watford	38.3%	80,964
90	Burnley	38.3%	75,200
91	Stevenage	38.2%	71,235
92	South Tyneside	38.0%	121,293
93	Hyndburn	38.0%	65,632
94	Oldham	37.9%	187,035
95	Peterborough	37.9%	167,572
96	Warwick	37.9%	123,254
97	Medway	37.8%	222,759
98	Blackburn with Darwen	37.8%	119,510
99	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	37.5%	334,910
100	Walsall	37.5%	223,098
101	Colchester	37.5%	156,339
102	St. Helens	37.5%	150,575
103	Dartford	37.4%	90,694
104	Wirral	37.3%	262,113
105	Sefton	37.3%	232,390
106	Bexley	37.3%	195,827
107	Wigan	37.2%	268,693
108	West Lancashire	37.2%	98,334
109	Broxbourne	37.2%	79,435
110	Hillingdon	37.0%	241,878
111	Milton Keynes	37.0%	224,829
112	County Durham	36.9%	433,959
113	Bradford	36.9%	421,574
114	Havering	36.9%	209,730
115	Wrexham	36.9%	110,273
116	Basildon	36.7%	148,663
117	Caerphilly	36.7%	143,482
118	Bolton	36.6%	232,291
119	Barnsley	36.6%	199,789
120	Bury	36.6%	154,872
121	Neath Port Talbot	36.6%	117,181
122	Barrow-in-Furness	36.6%	55,834
123	Bromley	36.5%	265,087
124	Telford and Wrekin	36.5%	148,671
125	Newcastle-under-Lyme	36.5%	103,183
126	Sutton	36.4%	165,657
127	Doncaster	36.3%	250,926
128	Kirklees	36.2%	346,274
129	Calderdale	36.2%	166,634
130	North East Lincolnshire	36.2%	127,521
131	Swale	36.2%	122,000
132	Wakefield	36.0%	287,537
133	Stockport	36.0%	238,927
134	Rotherham	36.0%	215,574
135	Dudley	35.9%	262,488
136	Redbridge	35.9%	242,017
137	South Gloucestershire	35.9%	237,366
138	Stockton-on-Tees	35.9%	158,010
139	Richmond upon Thames	35.9%	155,834
140	Bedford	35.9%	148,119
141	Ashfield	35.9%	102,846
142	Rossendale	35.9%	57,301
143	North Tyneside	35.8%	171,509
144	Eastbourne	35.8%	84,576
145	Gravesham	35.8%	84,555
146	Thanet	35.7%	115,416
147	Chesterfield	35.7%	86,002
148	Torfaen	35.7%	75,113
149	West Northamptonshire	35.6%	343,506
150	Broxtowe	35.6%	92,541
151	Redcar and Cleveland	35.5%	112,345
152	Darlington	35.5%	88,105
153	Great Yarmouth	35.5%	82,719
154	Rushmoor	35.5%	80,871
155	Redditch	35.5%	70,254
156	Tamworth	35.5%	63,787
157	Trafford	35.4%	186,149
158	Bracknell Forest	35.4%	99,935
159	Erewash	35.4%	93,525
160	Mansfield	35.4%	90,170
161	Carlisle	35.3%	91,343
162	Cannock Chase	35.3%	82,476
163	Slough	35.2%	118,932
164	Nuneaton and Bedworth	35.2%	108,588
165	Gedling	35.2%	96,454
166	Bridgend	35.1%	119,481
167	Epping Forest	35.1%	109,933
168	Cheshire West and Chester	34.9%	295,356
169	Warrington	34.9%	172,717
170	North Northamptonshire	34.8%	289,186
171	Worthing	34.8%	92,354
172	Bolsover	34.7%	66,277
173	Dacorum	34.6%	123,780
174	Cherwell	34.5%	130,591
175	East Staffordshire	34.4%	100,508
176	Denbighshire	34.3%	78,908
177	Boston	34.3%	57,585
178	Spelthorne	34.2%	83,362
179	Swindon	34.1%	187,151
180	Chelmsford	34.0%	147,740
181	East Hertfordshire	33.9%	121,153
182	North Hertfordshire	33.9%	107,743
183	Rugby	33.9%	92,187
184	Brentwood	33.9%	62,867
185	Hertsmere	33.8%	86,192
186	Pendle	33.8%	75,225
187	Maidstone	33.7%	142,137
188	Flintshire	33.6%	127,577
189	High Peak	33.6%	75,660
190	Vale of Glamorgan	33.5%	107,458
191	North West Leicestershire	33.5%	86,168
192	North Warwickshire	33.5%	53,897
193	Adur	33.5%	52,950
194	Basingstoke and Deane	33.4%	149,806
195	Chorley	33.4%	96,368
196	Central Bedfordshire	33.3%	236,759
197	Solihull	33.3%	174,498
198	Fenland	33.3%	84,829
199	Copeland	33.3%	56,008
200	Harrow	33.2%	209,623
201	West Suffolk	33.2%	148,127
202	Winchester	33.2%	104,750
203	Oadby and Wigston	33.2%	47,210
204	Reigate and Banstead	33.1%	120,129
205	Ashford	33.1%	106,772
206	Dover	33.1%	96,132
207	Folkestone and Hythe	33.1%	91,555
208	Woking	33.0%	82,981
209	Isle of Anglesey	33.0%	57,147
210	Braintree	32.9%	126,573
211	Torbay	32.8%	117,031
212	South Derbyshire	32.8%	86,956
213	Gosport	32.8%	67,211
214	South Ribble	32.7%	91,497
215	Epsom and Ewell	32.7%	64,604
216	Amber Valley	32.6%	105,063
217	Newark and Sherwood	32.6%	101,967
218	Blaby	32.6%	83,666
219	North Lincolnshire	32.5%	139,464
220	Conwy	32.5%	96,366
221	Wyre Forest	32.5%	84,566
222	Carmarthenshire	32.4%	155,488
223	Three Rivers	32.4%	75,003
224	Bassetlaw	32.3%	97,366
225	Cornwall	32.2%	477,425
226	Allerdale	32.2%	80,513
227	Tunbridge Wells	32.1%	92,402
228	Windsor and Maidenhead	32.0%	123,676
229	Vale of White Horse	32.0%	112,427
230	Havant	32.0%	102,869
231	Mendip	32.0%	96,051
232	Tandridge	31.9%	70,825
233	Eastleigh	31.8%	110,334
234	Pembrokeshire	31.8%	102,551
235	St Albans	31.7%	116,090
236	Rushcliffe	31.7%	97,724
237	Cheshire East	31.6%	329,473
238	Huntingdonshire	31.6%	148,261
239	Tonbridge and Malling	31.6%	105,526
240	Scarborough	31.6%	92,109
241	Castle Point	31.6%	74,412
242	Buckinghamshire	31.5%	443,394
243	West Berkshire	31.5%	130,733
244	Sedgemoor	31.4%	103,780
245	Hinckley and Bosworth	31.4%	93,918
246	Lewes	31.4%	83,222
247	Forest of Dean	31.4%	73,045
248	South Oxfordshire	31.3%	121,490
249	Shropshire	31.2%	272,246
250	West Oxfordshire	31.2%	93,809
251	Isle of Wight	31.0%	119,588
252	Stafford	31.0%	113,615
253	Somerset West and Taunton	30.9%	131,295
254	Stroud	30.9%	100,195
255	Tendring	30.8%	124,891
256	Powys	30.8%	112,536
257	Chichester	30.8%	104,713
258	North Somerset	30.6%	178,566
259	Arun	30.6%	139,555
260	Mid Sussex	30.6%	123,315
261	Lichfield	30.6%	88,596
262	Northumberland	30.5%	268,848
263	King's Lynn and West Norfolk	30.5%	128,887
264	North East Derbyshire	30.5%	85,273
265	North Devon	30.5%	82,192
266	Herefordshire	30.4%	157,133
267	Breckland	30.4%	117,852
268	Wiltshire	30.3%	419,113
269	Wokingham	30.3%	140,821
270	South Staffordshire	30.3%	93,371
271	Selby	30.3%	75,432
272	South Cambridgeshire	30.2%	130,360
273	Sevenoaks	30.2%	96,603
274	South Holland	30.2%	79,000
275	Tewkesbury	30.2%	77,353
276	East Cambridgeshire	30.2%	71,428
277	Rochford	30.2%	70,710
278	South Somerset	30.1%	143,814
279	Surrey Heath	30.1%	73,783
280	Bromsgrove	30.0%	81,101
281	Mid Devon	30.0%	68,205
282	Elmbridge	29.9%	108,773
283	Waverley	29.9%	103,635
284	Harrogate	29.8%	135,307
285	Wyre	29.8%	94,348
286	Eden	29.7%	46,637
287	Melton	29.7%	42,944
288	East Suffolk	29.6%	206,720
289	Horsham	29.6%	120,665
290	Harborough	29.6%	80,428
291	Mole Valley	29.6%	72,339
292	Rutland	29.6%	34,300
293	South Kesteven	29.5%	118,009
294	South Lakeland	29.5%	89,698
295	Teignbridge	29.4%	113,462
296	Staffordshire Moorlands	29.4%	80,855
297	Uttlesford	29.4%	73,522
298	Fylde	29.3%	69,247
299	Richmondshire	29.3%	41,743
300	South Norfolk	29.2%	117,219
301	Wychavon	29.2%	110,717
302	Test Valley	29.1%	106,751
303	Maldon	29.1%	55,426
304	Hart	28.9%	80,329
305	Monmouthshire	28.9%	78,240
306	Ribble Valley	28.9%	51,461
307	East Riding of Yorkshire	28.8%	288,138
308	West Lindsey	28.8%	79,116
309	Mid Suffolk	28.7%	86,305
310	Broadland	28.6%	110,506
311	Babergh	28.6%	77,382
312	Malvern Hills	28.6%	67,119
313	Stratford-on-Avon	28.4%	112,638
314	Torridge	28.3%	57,560
315	East Hampshire	28.2%	103,830
316	North Kesteven	28.2%	98,012
317	Ryedale	28.2%	46,327
318	Rother	28.1%	79,488
319	Cotswold	27.9%	76,315
320	Craven	27.9%	48,282
321	Wealden	27.7%	133,650
322	East Devon	27.7%	127,391
323	East Lindsey	27.7%	121,417
324	Fareham	27.7%	95,638
325	South Hams	27.5%	74,969
326	Derbyshire Dales	27.5%	61,060
327	Dorset	27.4%	321,902
328	West Devon	27.3%	48,364
329	North Norfolk	27.2%	89,145
330	New Forest	26.9%	148,744
331	Hambleton	26.9%	76,984

Scotland: settlements

Share of residents aged 16 and over who are single, by census settlement. Census 2022.

#	Area	Single	Adults
1	St Andrews	66.7%	15,395
2	Edinburgh	48.5%	445,589
3	Greater Glasgow	46.4%	858,068
4	Dundee	45.3%	133,477
5	Stirling	44.9%	42,775
6	Aberdeen, Milltimber, and Peterculter	44.5%	181,862
7	Lerwick	41.6%	5,646
8	Shotts	41.5%	7,340
9	Kilbirnie	41.4%	5,917
10	Oban	40.4%	6,682
11	Fort William	40.2%	8,620
12	Greenock	39.7%	56,967
13	Galashiels	39.3%	13,153
14	Perth	39.1%	40,240
15	Wick	39.0%	5,681

See all 103 areas

share of residents aged 16+ who are single (never married and never registered in a civil partnership), by Census Settlement 2022. Source: National Records of Scotland (NRS) - Scotland's Census 2022, Scotland's Census 2022 - UV104 - Marital and civil partnership status (Census Settlement 2022 file) (UV104), Census 2022.

#	Area	Single	Adults
1	St Andrews	66.7%	15,395
2	Edinburgh	48.5%	445,589
3	Greater Glasgow	46.4%	858,068
4	Dundee	45.3%	133,477
5	Stirling	44.9%	42,775
6	Aberdeen, Milltimber, and Peterculter	44.5%	181,862
7	Lerwick	41.6%	5,646
8	Shotts	41.5%	7,340
9	Kilbirnie	41.4%	5,917
10	Oban	40.4%	6,682
11	Fort William	40.2%	8,620
12	Greenock	39.7%	56,967
13	Galashiels	39.3%	13,153
14	Perth	39.1%	40,240
15	Wick	39.0%	5,681
16	Inverness and Culloden	38.9%	53,986
17	Methil, Leven and Buckhaven	38.5%	26,275
18	Airdrie, Hamilton and Motherwell	38.3%	248,063
19	Alloa and Sauchie	38.3%	17,534
20	Whitburn	38.2%	10,699
21	Dumbarton	38.1%	17,777
22	Tullibody	37.8%	7,584
23	Kilmarnock	37.7%	42,446
24	Kilwinning and Saltcoats	37.7%	39,319
25	Moodiesburn	37.6%	5,579
26	Vale of Leven	37.2%	19,313
27	Kirkwall	37.2%	6,190
28	Bathgate	37.1%	22,196
29	Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly and Lumphinnans	37.0%	15,831
30	Steòrnabhagh (Stornoway)	37.0%	5,911
31	Kilsyth	36.9%	9,128
32	Thurso	36.8%	6,218
33	Arbroath	36.7%	19,597
34	Tranent	36.7%	9,905
35	Prestonpans	36.6%	8,475
36	Irvine	36.4%	30,827
37	Kirkcaldy and Dysart	36.2%	42,195
38	Dumfries	36.1%	28,473
39	Livingston	36.0%	52,962
40	Larkhall	35.9%	13,953
41	Montrose, Ferryden and Inchbraoch	35.9%	10,471
42	Bonnybridge, Croy and Cumbernauld	35.8%	64,752
43	Armadale	35.8%	10,006
44	Kelty	35.7%	5,633
45	Dunfermline	35.5%	63,227
46	Hawick	35.5%	11,481
47	Fraserburgh	35.5%	10,656
48	Girvan	35.3%	5,347
49	Peterhead	35.1%	16,296
50	Broxburn	35.0%	12,641
51	Falkirk	34.8%	87,438
52	Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith, Mayfield and Gorebridge	34.8%	45,648
53	East Kilbride	34.7%	64,653
54	Annan	34.6%	7,173
55	Forfar	34.5%	11,630
56	Stranraer	34.3%	8,057
57	Cumnock	34.3%	7,248
58	Elgin	34.2%	19,968
59	Loanhead and Bilston	34.1%	7,430
60	Brechin	34.1%	5,971
61	Glenrothes and Thornton	33.8%	37,814
62	Penicuik	33.7%	13,656
63	Buckie	33.6%	7,407
64	Bo'ness	33.2%	12,287
65	Inverurie	32.6%	12,284
66	Kirkintilloch	32.3%	24,803
67	Erskine	32.3%	14,113
68	East Calder	32.1%	5,781
69	Lanark and Kirkfieldbank	32.0%	8,459
70	Ayr	31.9%	52,698
71	Carluke	31.6%	12,199
72	Forres	31.5%	8,525
73	Haddington	31.0%	9,183
74	Dunoon, Innellan and Sandbank	31.0%	8,873
75	South Queensferry	30.9%	8,196
76	Burntisland and Kinghorn	30.8%	7,687
77	Bishopton	30.2%	7,898
78	Cupar	30.1%	7,465
79	Crieff	30.1%	5,953
80	Kirriemuir	30.1%	5,048
81	Nairn	29.9%	8,254
82	Stewarton	29.9%	6,338
83	Blairgowrie	29.7%	7,982
84	Dunbar	29.2%	8,465
85	Marywell and Portlethen	29.0%	7,419
86	Lossiemouth	28.8%	5,454
87	Carnoustie	28.7%	9,542
88	Stonehaven	28.6%	9,307
89	Helensburgh	28.0%	13,469
90	Kelso	28.0%	6,087
91	Ellon	27.5%	8,352
92	Peebles	27.3%	7,537
93	Largs	27.1%	9,625
94	Auchterarder	26.8%	5,050
95	Strathaven	26.5%	6,686
96	Troon	26.2%	12,935
97	Westhill (Aberdeenshire)	25.3%	9,451
98	Dunblane	25.1%	7,106
99	Dalgety Bay and Hillend	24.8%	8,034
100	Linlithgow	24.7%	10,306
101	Houston	24.6%	5,102
102	Banchory	24.0%	6,103
103	North Berwick	22.8%	6,784

Northern Ireland: settlements

Share of residents aged 16 and over who are single, by settlement. Census 2021.

#	Area	Single	Adults
1	Belfast City	51.1%	238,848
2	Metropolitan Lisburn	46.5%	24,706
3	Derry City	44.8%	67,274
4	Downpatrick	42.3%	9,005
5	Strabane	41.9%	10,680
6	Dungannon	41.2%	12,626
7	Newry	41.0%	22,449
8	Armagh	40.4%	12,663
9	Omagh Town	40.1%	16,454
10	Enniskillen	40.0%	11,429
11	Craigavon Urban Area including Aghacommon	39.5%	56,127
12	Portstewart	39.5%	6,686
13	Cookstown	39.1%	9,901
14	Antrim	38.8%	20,168
15	Coleraine	38.4%	19,885

See all 37 areas

share of residents aged 16+ who are single (never married or never registered a civil partnership), by settlement. Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Census 2021 main statistics - MS-A30: Marital and civil partnership status (MS-A30), Census 2021.

#	Area	Single	Adults
1	Belfast City	51.1%	238,848
2	Metropolitan Lisburn	46.5%	24,706
3	Derry City	44.8%	67,274
4	Downpatrick	42.3%	9,005
5	Strabane	41.9%	10,680
6	Dungannon	41.2%	12,626
7	Newry	41.0%	22,449
8	Armagh	40.4%	12,663
9	Omagh Town	40.1%	16,454
10	Enniskillen	40.0%	11,429
11	Craigavon Urban Area including Aghacommon	39.5%	56,127
12	Portstewart	39.5%	6,686
13	Cookstown	39.1%	9,901
14	Antrim	38.8%	20,168
15	Coleraine	38.4%	19,885
16	Kilkeel	38.2%	5,128
17	Warrenpoint / Burren	37.9%	7,287
18	Limavady	37.7%	9,470
19	Magherafelt	37.6%	7,631
20	Larne	37.3%	15,503
21	Ballymena	36.9%	25,215
22	Metropolitan Newtownabbey	36.6%	54,141
23	Portrush	35.9%	5,160
24	Lisburn City	35.8%	40,639
25	Metropolitan Castlereagh	34.8%	47,393
26	Ballymoney	34.6%	8,917
27	Newcastle	34.5%	6,706
28	Ballyclare	34.1%	8,648
29	Banbridge	33.9%	13,933
30	Carrickfergus	33.6%	23,265
31	Newtownards	33.5%	24,184
32	Dromore (Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon LGD)	33.1%	5,065
33	Carryduff	32.8%	5,705
34	Bangor	32.1%	52,563
35	Holywood	30.8%	8,806
36	Comber	30.4%	7,934
37	Donaghadee	28.4%	6,141

How to read this

Single means never married and never in a civil partnership (it excludes divorced, separated and widowed people, who may also be looking). Shares are for everyone in the age band, so areas with many students, young adults or a young age profile (for example Oxford, Cambridge, Galway, St Andrews, Dublin) show higher shares, and areas with many older residents or families show lower shares; a high share is not the same as many people actively seeking a partner. Single people are not necessarily unpartnered: cohabiting couples who never married are counted as single. Figures are census snapshots (2021 or 2022) of usual residents on census night, and statistical disclosure control (random small changes to counts) means small areas are slightly noisy. Do not compare an Ireland 15+ share directly with a UK 16+ share; compare within a jurisdiction, or use the 25 to 34 measures, which use the same age band in Ireland, England and Wales and Scotland. Every number comes from the official tables listed in each measure; shares are computed from the counts with the formula recorded per measure.

What the data cannot tell you

Ireland (towns): CSO publishes marital status by town only for all ages, with no age cross-tabulation, so the town measure is the share of those aged 15+ (derived by removing the 0-14 population). Age-banded marital status (ages 25 to 34) exists for counties and local authorities only.
Northern Ireland: NISRA publishes marital status by age only in broad bands (16-39, 40-64, 65+) at district level (MS-A33), so there is no like-for-like 25 to 34 measure; NI is shown as the share of residents aged 16+ only.
England and Wales: TS002 and RM074 are published by local authority, not by town, so towns inside a larger authority (for example Bath, Chester, Poole) have no figure of their own; they are flagged with coversSlugs where the authority contains them.
No jurisdiction offers the same age floor: Ireland counts residents aged 15+, the UK nations count residents aged 16+; census years also differ (Ireland 2022, Scotland 2022, England and Wales 2021, Northern Ireland 2021).

Sources

Data fetched 2026-11-10. Shares are calculated from the published counts. Statistical agencies add small random changes to protect privacy, so very small areas can be slightly off. You may quote this page with a link back to it.

Questions

What counts as single in this data?

People who are not married and not in a civil partnership. Divorced, separated and widowed people are counted separately by the census, so they are not in the single share. Couples who live together but never married are counted as single.

Does a high share mean more people are looking for a partner?

No. Places with many students and young adults show higher shares simply because younger people are less likely to be married. The figures show who is not married, not who is looking.

Where does the data come from?

Official census tables: CSO for Ireland (Census 2022), the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales (Census 2021), National Records of Scotland (Census 2022) and NISRA for Northern Ireland (Census 2021). Every table is linked below.

Can I compare Ireland with the UK?

Use the 25 to 34 table, which uses the same age band and a matching definition in Ireland, England and Wales and Scotland. The other tables use slightly different age floors and census years, so compare within a country.

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