The percentage of adults per household has in fact risen by an average of some three percentage points in the countries and periods analysed. This increase, which is equivalent to a decline in the demographic dependency rate, translates into a rise in per capita household income that has indeed been instrumental in bringing down poverty. This change in family structures has been fairly homogeneous across all income groups, however, which explains why it has done so little to reduce the gap between the highest and lowest quintiles.