Q: The number of people worldwide who have never experienced this is increasing every year. What is it?
A: Have never been in a relationship.
Prevalence of people who have never been in a relationship:
- US data: Based on a 2020 Pew Research Center analysis, roughly 35% of unmarried adults in the US (around 72 million people) report never having been in a committed romantic relationship. However, this percentage varies greatly by age:Around 42% of adults younger than 40 say they’ve never been in a relationship. This number drops to 21% for never-married singles age 40 and older.
- Global data: Precise global statistics are harder to come by, but studies across various countries (e.g., China, Greece) report similar variations, with the percentage of people who’ve never been in a relationship ranging from 12% to 42%, depending on age and demographics.
Is it more uncommon to never have been in a relationship?
No, it’s not necessarily uncommon. The growing share of singles worldwide, combined with diverse relationship preferences and life choices, suggests that never having been in a relationship is increasingly becoming a recognized experience.
Moreover, the percentage of people who are single (never married) has been gradually increasing in Canada over the past several decades. In 1981, about 33 percent of the population aged 15 and over was single. By 2016, that percentage had risen to about 45 percent of the population aged 15 and over.
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