Although loneliness is on the rise in our societies, EU data reveal significant variations in loneliness that cannot be attributed solely to living alone.
For many, summer is a time for barbecues, festivals and holidays with loved ones. For others, however, it can serve as a reminder of the relationships they wish they had.
The United Nations marks the International Day of Friendship on 30 July to highlight the role of friendship in building trust, solidarity and social cohesion.
Yet for many Europeans, the summer holiday season can also bring feelings of loneliness into sharper focus. While there is no evidence that loneliness itself becomes more common during summer, the holidays and expectations of social connection can make existing feelings of loneliness more apparent.
A silent crisis
Increasingly recognised as both a public health and social policy challenge, loneliness has been linked to poorer physical and mental health, lower well-being and a greater risk of social exclusion. Loneliness is also associated with poorer health and higher mortality rates comparable to those of obese people (here I will add a link to your article).
But loneliness is not the same as being alone. Social isolation refers to the objective lack of social contacts, whereas loneliness is a subjective feeling that arises when the quality or quantity of a person’s social relationships falls short of their needs or expectations.
In other words, people can feel lonely even when surrounded by others, while those living alone may not feel lonely at all.
In light of the growing societal challenge of loneliness, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre launched the Monitoring Loneliness in Europe project to gain a better understanding of its prevalence and underlying factors. The projectโs findings reveal that the experience of loneliness is shaped not only by individual circumstances but also by wider social and societal factors.
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Eastern and Southern Europeans are lonelier and more socially isolated than Western and Northern Europeans.
While the differences between countries are clear, the authors caution that they should not be interpreted too literally. Cultural response patterns, demographic differences and possible sampling differences may all contribute to the variation observed across Europe.
Beyond living alone
One of the most common misconceptions about loneliness is that it simply reflects living alone. But the data tell a different story.
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By 2025, over one third of the population in the European Union was living alone. In Lithuania, Denmark and Finland, the figure stands at approximately one in two people, while in Slovakia it is less than one in ten.
Although one-person households are becoming increasingly common across Europe, particularly in Northern and Western Europe, the countries with the highest shares of people living alone are not necessarily those where people feel the loneliest.
In conclusion, this suggests that loneliness is shaped by much more than household composition alone: you can live alone, while entertaining a rich network of friends.
- Maria Markus, Euranet Plus News Agency
A follow-up article, “What drives loneliness ?“, is available now.
