The relationships we build over our lifetime are essential to our wellbeing — but research shows that as we near the end of our life, much of our time is spent alone.

Using data from the American Time Use Survey, Our World In Data charted who Americans spend the hours of their day with, by age. Figures are based on averages from surveys conducted between 2009 and 2019.

In our childhood and teenage years, a lot of our time is dominated by family and friends. As we go through our twenties, however, partners and children take over as the people we spend the most time with.

Coworkers also become a major part of our lives between our thirties and fifties — but by retirement age, time with almost everyone besides our partners drops off dramatically.

For those in their seventies or older, a significant amount of the day is spent alone. As the chart shows, the average American around the age of 80 can go as many as eight hours a day without spending time with anyone else.

There is, of course, a difference between being alone and feeling lonely — and the quality of our time spent with others likely benefits us more than the amount. But with 30 percent of Americans aged 72 or older reporting feeling lonely at least some of the time, reaching out to a loved one you haven't seen in a while could make all the difference.

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Via Our World In Data.