The table illustrates changes in the proportion of different household types in Japan over a 20-year period, from 2000 to 2020.
Overall, the data indicates a clear trend towards smaller household units, with significant increases in single-person and couple-only households, while nuclear and extended family structures saw a decline.
Single-person households consistently rose throughout the period, starting at 20% in 2000 and reaching 32% by 2020. Similarly, couple-only households experienced a steady upward trend, increasing from 28% to 32% over the same two decades. By 2020, both these categories accounted for an equal share of households.
In contrast, nuclear families, which were the largest group in 2000 at 37%, showed a continuous decrease, falling to 25% by 2020. Extended families also followed a downward path, declining from 15% to 11% during this timeframe. This made them the smallest household type by the end of the period.