Older adults in sub-Saharan Africa living with children and grandchildren

Overall, 59 percent of older adults in sub-Saharan Africa live with a child.

• Forty-six percent of older adults live with a grandchild.
• Men are more likely to reside in nuclear households, while women tend to live in extended households or alone.
• The factors influencing household composition vary by sex; for men, living with children and grandchildren is often linked to having a spouse.
• For women, the association between living with children and grandchildren is either not significant or may be in the opposite direction.
• Households containing an older adult and a grandchild, with no adult children present, are common.
• About 8 percent of older adults live with a grandchild who has at least one deceased parent, especially in regions with high AIDS-related mortality.

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