CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has the largest proportion of people who are either divorced , widowed or separated. Nearly 7.9% of the married people in the state are living without a partner, according to a survey by the Census department . In comparison, 5.2% of the married population in the country is single.

The Sample Registration System (SRS) report for 2013 says 13.1% of Tamil Nadu’s married women are living separately and a majority of them are in rural areas. In a stark indication of gender disparity, the report says only 2.5% of married men in the state are without a partner. Nationally, 2.5% of the married men and 8.3% of the married women are single.

Experts say one of the reasons for such a high percentage of married-but-single people in the state is the age gap between the couples. “Generally the age difference between the partners is huge. The husband is older to the wife by five to six years and will die before her, leaving her a widow,” said population expert P Arokiasamy. In rural areas, the men are usually elder to their wives by at least four years. Earlier, the difference used to be 10 years or more, he said.

Another reason is the better life expectancy among females in the state. “Female life expectancy is better than male life expectancy in the state. Most women are widowed after 60 years and remain single,” said Arokiasamy. This is highlighted by the fact that less than 1% of the single women are divorcees, he said. The other three southern states -- Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh -- too show a similar trend. While 7.3% of Kerala’s married population is single, in Karnataka the proportion is 7.1% and Andhra Pradesh 7%.

Experts say migration too is a reason for more single women in Tamil Nadu. “Many men from rural areas leave their homes in search of work in far-off cities and don’t return home, deserting their families,” said K Nagaraj, former professor at Madras Institute of Development Studies.

According to the report, if only population above 10 years is considered, 3% of the men and 15.4% of the women are single in Tamil Nadu has. The national average for this category is 2.9% for men and 10.1% for women.

SRS is the largest demographic survey in the world, covering about 1.5 million households and 7.52 million people. Apart from the large sample size and geographical spread, the system has a unique feature of dual recording, which involves collection of data through two processes — the continuous enumeration and retrospective half-yearly surveys. The system provides a cross-check on the correctness and completeness of the events of birth and death listed by the two independent processes, said the census department.