In 2023, there were about 15.09 million children living with a single mother in the United States, and about 3.05 million children living with a single father. The number of children living with a single mother is down from its peak in 2012, and the number of children living with a single father is down from its peak in 2005.

Marriage and divorce in the United States

Despite popular opinion in the United States that “half of all marriages end in divorce,” the divorce rate in the U.S. has fallen significantly since 1992. The marriage rate, which has also been decreasing since the 1990s, was still higher than the divorce rate in 2021. Half of all marriages may not end in divorce, but it does seem that fewer people are choosing to get married in the first place.

New family structures

In addition to a falling marriage rate, fewer people in the U.S. have children under the age of 18 living in the house in comparison to 1970. Over the past decade, the share of families with children under 18, whether that be married couples or single parents, has stayed mostly steady, although the number of births in the U.S. has also fallen.

This graph shows the Percentage of households led by a female householder with no spouse present with own children under 18 years living in the household in the U.S. in 2021, by state. In 2021, about 4.24 percent of Californian households were single mother households with at least one child.

Additional information on single mother households and poverty in the United States

For most single mothers a constant battle persists between finding the time and energy to raise their children and the demands of working to supply an income to house and feed their families. The pressures of a single income and the high costs of childcare mean that the risk of poverty for these families is a tragic reality. Comparison of the overall United States poverty rate since 1990 with that of the poverty rate for families with a female householder shows that poverty is much more prevalent in the latter. In 2021, while the overall rate was at 11.6 percent, the rate of poverty for single mother families was 23 percent. Moreover, the degree of fluctuation tends to be lower for single female household families, suggesting the rate of poverty for these groups is less affected by economic conditions.

The sharp rise in the number of children living with a single mother or single father in the United States from 1970 to 2022 suggests more must be done to ensure that families in such situations are able to avoid poverty. Moreover, attention should also be placed on overall racial income inequality given the higher rate of poverty for Hispanic single mother families than their white or Asian counterparts.

In 2022, there were about 4.15 million Black families in the United States with a single mother. This is an increase from 1990 levels, when there were about 3.4 million Black families with a single mother.

Single parenthood

The typical family is comprised of two parents and at least one child. However, that is not the case in every single situation. A single parent is someone who has a child but no spouse or partner. Single parenthood occurs for different reasons, including divorce, death, abandonment, or single-person adoption. Historically, single parenthood was common due to mortality rates due to war, diseases, and maternal mortality. However, divorce was not as common back then, depending on the culture.

Single parent wellbeing

In countries where social welfare programs are not strong, single parents tend to suffer more financially, emotionally, and mentally. In the United States, most single parents are mothers. The struggles that single parents face are greater than those in two parent households. The number of families with a single mother in the United States has increased since 1990, but the poverty rate of black families with a single mother has significantly decreased since that same year. In comparison, the poverty rate of Asian families with a single mother, and the percentage of white, non-Hispanic families with a single mother who live below the poverty level in the United States have both been fluctuating since 2002.

The number of single parents housing underage children in Germany has been increasing with figures for single fathers amounting to *** thousand in 2018. In comparison, the number of single mothers with underage children amounted to roughly *** million that year, a decrease compared to the previous years, in which the number amounted to almost *** million.

Single parents

General statistics on households with children in Germany show that most families had *** child, though it is not always possible to determine whether this was a household with *** parent or ***. Reasons for being a single parent may vary. It may be due to a court-appointed decision after a divorce, the death of a partner or other circumstances which might have led to parenting a child or children alone. When considering single mothers, additional reasons may include having children outside of a relationship or biological fathers refusing to be involved in raising children. These are only a few examples. As far as families with underage children are concerned, most German households had *** children under the age of 18.

Child benefits

In many ways, Germany is a country which encourages and supports the population in having children, also financially. Monthly child benefit payments increase with more offspring. Single parents are also eligible for an alimony advance until their child turns **, if not being financially supported by the second parent.

In 2023, there were around 15.18 million families with a female householder and no spouse present in the United States, an increase from the previous year. You can get an overview on the total number of households in the U.S. here.

This dataset provides expenditures on Children by Families provides estimates of the cost of raising children from birth through age 17 for major budgetary components.

Abstract

A strikingly large number of African children - up to 60% in some countries - do not co-reside with biological fathers. Most of these children are raised by single mothers, defined as women who are not married, cohabiting or in a socially recognized relationship with the biological or non-biological father of their children. The welfare of these children, however, has generated little concern as studies tend to emphasize the critical compensating role of extended kin in child rearing throughout Africa. It is often assumed that a large and supportive kin network will buffer against any negative effects of single motherhood on children's well-being. However, this assumption may be false. A recent study found that children of single mothers were significantly more likely to die before the age of five than children of mothers in union in 11 countries in Africa. Limited or inadequate support from extended kin may help explain these outcomes, but currently no data exists to rigorously investigate such a claim. In this pilot study, we have developed and administered an innovative survey instrument - Kinship Support Tree - designed to capture time- and space- varying measures of kinship support for single mothers and their young children in an urban context in Kenya characterized by low-income and high circular migration.

Geographic coverage

Korogocho

Analysis unit

Single Mothers

Universe

Single mothers with at least one child under the age of 7 residing in Korogocho

Sampling procedure

• Random sample of 500 children aged 0-5 who live with single mothers. In total, 462 single mothers with at least one child under the age of 7 residing in Korogocho were interviewed.

• Kin Sample: 5,344 close kin (co-resident and non-resident)

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Demographic attributes of mothers and close kin

Geo-spatial attributes of kin

Type and quantity of support provided to mother and child from kin

Child health and cognitive development

Graph and download economic data for Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in Kent County, DE (S1101SPHOUSE010001) from 2009 to 2023 about Kent County, DE; Dover; single-parent; DE; 5-year; households; and USA.

The total number of single parent families in Canada was 1.84 million in 2024. Between 2006 and 2024, the total number rose by 370,000, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Since 1960, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided estimates of expenditures on children from birth through age 17. This technical report presents the most recent estimates for married- couple and single-parent families using data from the 2011-15 Consumer Expenditure Survey (all data presented in 2015 dollars). Data and methods used in calculating annual child-rearing expenses are described. Estimates are provided for married-couple and single-parent families with two children for major components of the budget by age of child, family income, and region of residence. For the overall United States, annual child-rearing expense estimates ranged between $12,350 and $13,900 for a child in a two-child, married-couple family in the middle-income group. Adjustment factors for households with less than or greater than two children are also provided. Expenses vary considerably by household income level, region, and composition, emphasizing that a single estimate may not be applicable to all families. Results of this study may be of use in developing State child support and foster care guidelines, as well as public health and family-centered educational programs. i

Families of tax filers; Single-earner and dual-earner census families by number of children (final T1 Family File; T1FF).

There are over **** million single parent families in the United Kingdom as of 2023, compared with **** million in 2022.

BackgroundUnmarried mothers who raise their children alone in South Korea experience various difficulties in maintaining their health. Improving the health of unmarried mothers, who are socioeconomically vulnerable, is important not only for them but also for the healthy growth and development of their children. We aimed to implement a natural wellness group program using an interactive real-time video platform for unmarried mothers and to verify its effects.MethodsThis quasi-experimental study utilized a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design. The participants were unmarried mothers raising children aged 0–6 years. The quantitative data collection occurred from August to November 2021. For the qualitative data collection, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants from the experimental group. The experimental group received eight 90-minute weekly online sessions, whereas the control group received no intervention. The outcome variables were physical and mental health, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and parenting stress.ResultsA total of 42 unmarried mothers (21 experimental, 21 control) participated. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed significant post-intervention differences in mental health, depression, and self-esteem in the experimental group. Moreover, a generalized estimating equation analysis revealed significant differences in self-esteem levels between the experimental and control groups. Four themes identified through qualitative analysis revealed that the natural wellness group program using interactive real-time video not only increased mothers’ vitality and relaxation but also improved depression and anxiety, and had a positive effect on parenting stress.ConclusionsNatural wellness group programs using interactive real-time videos can help improve the psychological health of unmarried mothers with young children, a group that tends to be socially and psychologically marginalized.

10 families of different types (SES) and structures (e.g. nuclear, extended, single-parent) were observed. The data provide insight into family members’ ideological positions that can be congruent or conflictual and which may cause conflicting views about how to raise bilingual children. Interactional data capture the actual language practices in families across the communities. The data also allow us to observe the silent cultural conversations among family members, and to identify the critical moments of policy enactment.

In 2023, about 3.52 million Hispanic families with a single mother were living in the United States. This is an increase from 1990, when there were about 1.19 million Hispanic families with a single mother in the U.S.

Snapshot img

Children Day Care Services Market Size 2025-2029

The children day care services market size is forecast to increase by USD 182.5 billion, at a CAGR of 9.2% between 2024 and 2029. The market is experiencing significant growth due to several key drivers. The increasing number of single-parent households is a primary factor fueling market expansion.

Major Market Trends & Insights

APAC dominated the market and accounted for a 40% share in 2023. The market is expected to grow significantly in Europe region as well over the forecast period. Based on the Type, the center-based segment led the market and was valued at USD 202.00 billion of the global revenue in 2023. Based on the End-user, the toddler and infant segment accounted for the largest market revenue share in 2023.

Market Size & Forecast

Market Opportunities: USD 329.50 Billion Future Opportunities: USD 182.5 Billion CAGR (2024-2029): 9.2% APAC: Largest market in 2023

The market continues to evolve, adapting to the changing needs of families and the latest research in child development. Program administration is a critical component, with play-based learning increasingly prioritized during the various child development stages. Behavior management strategies are employed to ensure a positive learning environment, while the enrollment process is streamlined through digital platforms and childcare licensing regulations. Teacher-child ratios are closely monitored to optimize learning experiences, with assessment tools used to track progress and identify areas for improvement. Tuition fees vary widely, with some programs offering financial assistance and subsidies. Health screenings and safety protocols are non-negotiable, with security systems and daily activity schedules ensuring a secure and engaging environment.

What will be the Size of the Children Day Care Services Market during the forecast period?

Explore in-depth regional segment analysis with market size data - historical 2019-2023 and forecasts 2025-2029 - in the full report.
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Special needs inclusion is a growing trend, with accommodations made through curriculum development and childcare accreditation. Family engagement is encouraged through parent communication strategies and childcare software, while staff scheduling software and training programs ensure a well-prepared workforce. Developmental milestones are closely monitored, with record keeping systems and emergency preparedness plans in place to address any potential issues. For instance, a leading day care provider implemented a new digital platform to streamline the enrollment process, resulting in a 30% increase in new enrollments within the first year. Industry growth is expected to reach 5% annually, driven by the increasing recognition of the importance of early childhood education. The home-based segment is the second largest segment of the type and was valued at USD 105.20 billion in 2023.

This demographic shift has led to a higher demand for day care services as more parents require affordable and reliable child care solutions. Another trend shaping the market is the rising preference for high-value services. Parents are increasingly seeking day care services that offer additional amenities, such as educational programs and nutritious meals, to provide their children with a well-rounded development experience. However, the market also faces notable challenges. The increased cost of raising children is a significant obstacle for many families, making affordable day care services a priority.

Additionally, regulatory compliance and staffing issues can pose challenges for day care providers, requiring them to invest in training and adherence to stringent regulations to ensure the safety and well-being of children in their care. To capitalize on market opportunities and navigate challenges effectively, companies must focus on offering high-value services at affordable prices while maintaining regulatory compliance and addressing staffing concerns. By addressing these challenges and leveraging the growing demand for day care services, market participants can position themselves for long-term success.

How is this Children Day Care Services Industry segmented?

The children day care services industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD billion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

Type

Center-based Home-based Corporate Daycare

End-user

Toddler and infant Preschool children Older children

Service Type

Full-Day Care Part-Time Care After-School Programs Educational Programs

Geography

North America

US Canada

Europe

France Germany Italy UK

Middle East and Africa

Egypt KSA Oman UAE

APAC

China India Japan

South America

Argentina Brazil

Rest of World (ROW)

By Type Insights

The c

With a total number of more than *** million, France's most common type of family in 2021 was composed of a couple without children. However, in France, like in other Western countries, family models have undergone a variety of transformations in recent years. Families in France According to the source, most children in France in 2021 were living with a couple but there were also more than ***** million children who were raised by single parents. More than *** million households in France that year were composed of single mothers with children, compared to ******* for single fathers with children. Moreover, with the increase in divorces, blended families also became more common. In 2021, ******* children were living in a blended family. The evolution of family structure In France, mentalities are changing about family and raising children. In a survey from 2019, most of the French respondents declared that companies and employers should make it easier for men to combine childcare with work. Fathers’ role is becoming more important today. Family structure is changing as people appear to marry later, and meanwhile, the number of divorces is rising. Since the 90’s the number of children born out of wedlock in France has increased. In 2022, more than ** percent of children born in France were born out of wedlock, compared to **** percent in 1994. On the other hand, more children are now living in joint physical custody with a blended family or a single parent. In 2020, more than ****** divorces involved children born from the relationship.

In 2023, there were about **** million single-parent households in South Korea. Single-parent households accounted for about *** percent of total households in South Korea that year.

In 2023, there were about 1.18 million Black families with a single father living in the United States. This is an increase from 1990, when there were 472,000 Black families with a single father in the U.S.

In 1990, 48.1 percent of all Black families with a single mother in the United States lived below the poverty level. In 2023, that figure had decreased to 25.9 percent. This is significantly higher than white households with a single mother. Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter.