About 17.3 million people, or one in five people in Germany, lived in a one-person household in 2018, according to a micro-census result released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Out of roughly 41.4 million households in Germany in 2018, single-person households took up the largest share, at 42 percent, which means 17.3 million people, or about one in five people in Germany, lived alone in 2018, according to the Destatis.

Two-person households accounted for 34 percent of the total, and households with three people and more only represented 24 percent of the 41.4 million total, the Destatis said.

In a longer time-frame, German households have been shrinking. The number of single-person households in 2018 increased by 46 percent compared to that in 1991. The average household size decreased from 2.27 to 1.99 persons from 1991 to 2018.