According to the market research firm Euromonitor International, the number of people living alone globally is skyrocketing, rising from about 153 million in 1996 to 277 million in 2011 -- a 55 percent increase in 15 years, the Guardian reported.

Sweden has more solo dwellers than anywhere else in the world, with 47 percent of households having one resident; followed by Norway at 40 percent. In Japan, about 30 percent of all households have a single dweller, and the rate is far higher in urban areas. China, India and Brazil also see fast growth in one-person households.

The rise of living alone has been a transformative social experience. It changes the way people understand themselves and their most intimate relationships. It shapes the way people build their cities and develop their economies.

The wealth generated by economic development and the social security provided by modern welfare states have enabled the spike. More people live alone than ever before because they can afford to.

The rise also stems from the cultural change that Emile Durkheim, a founding figure in sociology in the late 19th century, called the cult of the individual.

Another driving force is the communications revolution, which has allowed people to experience the pleasures of social life even when they're living alone.

In addition, young solitaires actively reframe living alone as a mark of distinction and success. They use it as a way to invest time in their personal and professional growth.

(China.org.cn April 1, 2012)

英國(guó)《衛(wèi)報(bào)》報(bào)道，歐睿國(guó)際信息咨詢公司的市場(chǎng)調(diào)查顯示，全球獨(dú)居人數(shù)增長(zhǎng)迅猛，從1996年的1.53億人增至2011年的2.77億人——15年間增長(zhǎng)了55%。

瑞典的獨(dú)居人數(shù)比世界其它國(guó)家都多，47%的家庭只有一口人。排在其后的是挪威，比例為40%。在日本，30%的家庭只有一個(gè)人，而該比例在城市地區(qū)更高。中國(guó)、印度、巴西的單人家庭數(shù)也增長(zhǎng)迅速。

獨(dú)居興起改變社會(huì)。它改變了人們理解自我以及親密關(guān)系的方式。這種生活方式也影響城市建設(shè)和經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展的方式。

經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展創(chuàng)造的財(cái)富以及現(xiàn)代福利國(guó)家提供的社會(huì)保障使得獨(dú)居人數(shù)猛增。與過(guò)去相比，更多的人選擇獨(dú)居，因?yàn)樗麄冇凶銐虻腻X(qián)這么做。

這種增長(zhǎng)也來(lái)自于文化變遷，19世紀(jì)晚期社會(huì)學(xué)的創(chuàng)始人物埃米爾?涂爾干將其稱之為個(gè)人崇拜。

另外一個(gè)驅(qū)動(dòng)力是通訊革命，這使得人們獨(dú)居也能享受社會(huì)生活的樂(lè)趣。

另外，年輕的獨(dú)居者積極地將獨(dú)居重新定義為卓越和成功的標(biāo)志。獨(dú)居成為他們花時(shí)間增進(jìn)個(gè)人和職業(yè)成長(zhǎng)的方式。