Tokyo is a lonelier place than ever. According to a recent report by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, more people live alone in Tokyo than ever before. This year, the number of people per household in Tokyo fell below two per household to 1.99 for the first time ever.

On the basis of local resident registration, Tokyo had a population of 12,686,067 people in 6,368,485 households as of Jan. 1. Considering the number of households where the number of members is two or more, the majority of Tokyoites now live alone.

The trend toward smaller households has continued since comparable data was first recorded in 1957. At that time, the average household was 4.09, but by 1966, it had dropped to 2.97.