Single-person households will percentagewise be the most typical kind in all 47 prefectures by 2025, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research estimates showed Thursday.
That would be up from only three prefectures -- Hokkaido, Tokyo and Kochi -- in 2000, the institute under the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said.
Single-member households are estimated to account for 34.6 percent of all Japanese households in 2025, the institute said.
The average number of household members is projected to decrease to 2.37 in 2025 from 2.67 in 2000, the institute said, noting the number for Tokyo is expected to fall to 1.98 in 2025, the first drop below 2.00 of any prefecture.
In 2000, a couple with a child or children was the most typical form of household in 38 prefectures, the institute said.
The number of overall households in Japan is estimated to increase until this year in all prefectures, but the number is expected to begin dropping toward 2010 in Akita, Yamagata, Yamaguchi and Nagasaki, the institute said.
Households with singles or couples aged 65 or older are expected to represent 26 percent of the total in 2025, up from 14.7 percent in 2000, it said.