One in three Australians feel lonely. The young are lonelier than the old. And it is costing us billions.
🏠 1 in 4 Australian households now consists of a single person — up from 1 in 5 in 2001.
👤 Young Australians (18-25) are the loneliest age group, scoring significantly above average on the UCLA Loneliness Scale.
🗺️ Remote and regional areas show the highest isolation rates. The Northern Territory records over 41% social isolation.
🧠 Loneliness and poor mental health move together — the more lonely an age group, the higher their rate of poor mental health outcomes.
💰 The economic cost has grown from $1.4 billion in 2015 to $3.9 billion in 2023 — nearly tripling in under a decade.
Data sources: ABS Census 2021; Australian Psychological Society (2023); ABS General Social Survey (2020); AIHW (2023); Ending Loneliness Together (2023).