Children and their families: Residence and support of children with parents living apart
Shared residence is common among children with parents living apart
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2023-10-18 8.00
Around 220 000 children and youth aged 0–19 with parents living apart are alternating their residence equally with each parent. Shared residence is more common among 6–9-year-olds, compared to both younger and older children. It is also more common among children with high income, compared to other children.
In a new report from Statistics Sweden, the living arrangements for children and youth aged 0–19, who are registered with one of their parents and whose both parents are registered in Sweden, are described. The results are based on a web survey directed at parents who do not live together. In the survey, parents have been asked questions about how the child resides and how they have reached agreements with the child's other parent regarding living arrangements and finances.
There are nearly 490 000 children and youth whose parents are registered at different addresses, and the child is registered with one of the parents. For these children, alternating residence equally with each parent, is the most common solution. Around 220 000 children have shared residence, about 205 000 live mostly or solely with their mother, and approximately 40 000 live mostly or solely with their father.
An additional 110 000 children have only one parent registered in Sweden. This includes, for instance, children with their other parent residing in another country and children with a deceased parent. These children are not included in the survey.
Shared residence is more common in ages 6–9 years than among both younger and older children. The pattern is reversed when it comes to living mostly or solely with their mother, while it is roughly equally common to live mostly or exclusively with their father in all age groups.
Shared residence is more common among children with Swedish background compared to children with foreign background. It is also more common for children whose parents have a higher income or a higher level of education, compared to other children.
Definitions and explanations
The survey included 50 000 children whose both parents were registered in Sweden, but only one of them together with the child. One parent per child was randomly selected to participate in the survey. Data collection was conducted in the autumn of 2022 through a web survey, and the response rate was 32,3 percent.
Publication
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