The North West is second only to London for the highest percentage of single people in their mid-20s to mid-40s. More than three per cent of the population now live in single households, an increase of 1 million in the last decade.
There are also relatively large numbers of two other types of 'single' household in the North West: lone parents and one-parent households without work. Manchester, Knowlsey and Liverpool are among the areas with highest proportions of one parent no-earner families in the UK (the other areas being in inner London). There are fewer people in a second or subsequent marriage from their 30s to 50s than in most other regions of the UK; probably reflecting the higher number of single people in the region and the number of people cohabiting. Hyndburn, Pendle and Rossendale are three of the top ten UK towns with the highest proportion of non-married couples living together with children. In general cohabiting couples with children are more widespread in the North than the South. Manchester is one of the UK towns with the lowest proportion of traditional households of married couples with children. A North-South divide is clearly visible on the UK Love Map when looking at same-sex relationships. The highest concentration of same-sex cohabiting couples is in the South. The North West (and Scotland) has the second highest proportion of same-sex couples, even so the percentage of all cohabiting/married couples living together in same-sex relationships is still only 0.26 per cent in the North West.
| 
