Across the European Union, millions of children are growing up in households where a single adult carries the responsibility of raising a family. In 2025, around 6.1 million

households with children were headed by one adult, representing 12.9% of all families with resident children across the EU.

The prevalence of single-parent households varies widely among member states. Estonia recorded the highest share, with 40.6% of households with children led by a single adult—equivalent to four in every ten families. Lithuania (32.7%) and Latvia (28.5%) also reported notably high proportions. At the other end of the spectrum, Slovakia (3.1%), Greece (3.8%) and Slovenia (4.0%) had the lowest shares of one-adult households with children.

At the EU level, most single-parent families had one child, accounting for 60.1% of all such households. Families with two children represented 30.9%, while those with three or more children made up 9.0%.

Women overwhelmingly headed single-parent households. Of the 6.1 million one-adult families with children, approximately 5.0 million were led by women, representing 81.6% of the total. Men headed the remaining 18.4%.

The figures are published as part of the observance of the Global Day of Parents on 1 June, which highlights the essential role of families, parents and caregivers in supporting children's development, protection and well-being.