Tullia Jack, Diana Ivanova, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen and Milena Buchs Globally, households are shrinking – more and more people are living alone. In 2016, almost two thirds of all households in the EU were composed of one or two people, with shrinking households also prevalent around the world. As countries move up the human development index, households are expected to continue to shrink. As households have got smaller, homes are getting larger. This increases energy and resource use, domestic waste and greenhouse gases. After all, most households have similar appliances like stoves and fridges, and cooled or heated spaces, regardless of how many people live there.