Living conditions in Europe - housing and renting difficulties

Data extracted in September 2024.

Planned article update: September 2030.

Highlights

In 2023, 4.9% of people aged 16 or older in the EU reported experiencing housing difficulties in their lifetime.

In 2023, 8.5% of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU reported experiencing housing difficulties in the past, with men (9.0%) more affected than women (8.1%).

In 2023, 26.5% of people in the EU reported that they had overcome housing difficulties by finding a job.

Households in the EU with dependent children (18.1%) were more likely to experience renting difficulties in the last 12 months than those without (10.2%), as reported in 2023.

People at risk of poverty in the EU were more likely to experience renting difficulties in their lifetime, with rates decreasing from 22.1% for those aged 16-29 to 12.9% for people aged 65 or older, as reported in 2023.

An infographic showing the share of people in the having experienced housing difficulties in their lifetime as reported in 2023. Data are shown as percentage by current risk of poverty and social exclusion for the EU, the EU Member States and the EFTA country Norway.

Data on housing difficulties is crucial to show the living conditions and quality of life of people in Europe. It enables policymakers to take informed decisions, identify vulnerable groups of the population, and understand the impact of housing challenges in households and in society.

This article presents data on people aged 16 years or over living in private households in the European Union (EU) in 2023, focusing on those who have experienced housing difficulties in their lifetime and those who have faced renting difficulties in the last 12 months. Reasons for experiencing and overcoming housing difficulties are also examined.

Past housing difficulties refer to situations where an individual lacked a permanent and stable home in their lifetime, forcing them to rely on temporary accommodation, excluding temporary displacements due to unforeseen events but with a permanent home to return to.

The analysis is broken down by sex, age, risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE), and household composition, highlighting how these factors impacted such situations

Key findings

In 2023, 4.9% of people in the EU aged 16 or older reported experiencing housing difficulties in their lifetime.

People at risk of poverty or social exclusion were more affected, with 8.5% experiencing housing difficulties in the past, compared with 3.9% among those not at risk.
Among those at risk of poverty, 9.0% of men reported experiencing housing difficulties in their lifetime, compared with 8.1% of women.
The most common cause of housing difficulties was reasons linked to family or relationships (30.0%).
26.5% of people in the EU reported that they had overcome housing difficulties by finding a job.

In 2023, 13.0% of the EU population aged 16 or older reported renting difficulties in the last 12 months.

Households with dependent children were more affected by renting difficulties (18.1%) compared with those without children (10.2%).
Renting difficulties decreased with age, from 14.8% for people aged 16 to 29 years to 6.7% for those aged 65 or older.

Housing difficulties

Experiencing housing difficulties was more frequent among men at risk of poverty or social exclusion

In 2023, 4.9% of people aged 16 or older in the EU reported experiencing housing difficulties in their lifetime, with a marginal difference between men (4.9%) and women (4.8%).

The highest rates of housing difficulties were observed in Cyprus (11.2%), Finland (10.8%), Denmark (9.4%), France and Sweden (both 9.1%). Conversely, the lowest rates were recorded in Hungary and Poland (both 0.8%), Italy (1.2%), Slovakia (1.3%) and Bulgaria (1.5%).

Most EU countries recorded gender differences in housing difficulties of less than 1.0 percentage point (pp). Exceptions included Ireland, where women had a 2.0 pp higher rate than men (8.2% vs. 6.2%), Latvia with a 1.1 pp difference, and Slovenia with a 1.0 pp difference. In contrast, in Austria, men reported a 1.1 pp higher rate than women.

In 2023, 8.5% of people in the EU at risk of poverty or social exclusion reported experiencing housing difficulties in their lifetime, compared with 3.9% among those not at risk.

Among those at risk of poverty in the EU, men (9.0%) were more affected by housing difficulties than women (8.1%). Most Member States reported higher rates of housing difficulties among men at risk of poverty compared with women. The largest gaps were observed in Sweden (7.8 pp), the Netherlands (5.4 pp), and Austria (3.4 pp). In contrast, women were more affected in Ireland (5.0 pp) and Estonia (1.2 pp).

For those not at risk of poverty, no gender gap was observed at EU level, though variations were observed across the EU countries. The largest gap was in the Netherlands (2.2 pp), with women reporting higher rates of housing difficulties. Latvia (1.1 pp) and Slovenia (1.0 pp) also showed gaps where women reported higher rates. In contrast, men were more affected in Estonia and Finland (both 1.3 pp), as well as in Austria (0.9 pp) and France (0.6 pp).

Table 1: People having experienced housing difficulties in their life, 2023
(Analysed by sex and risk of poverty or social exclusion situation (% population aged 16 or older))
Source: Eurostat (ilc_lvhd01)

Relationship or family matters mostly behind housing difficulties in the EU

In 2023, 30.0% of people in the EU aged 16 or older reported experiencing housing difficulties in their lifetime due to relationship or family reasons, (Figure 1). Financial reasons accounted for 25.9%, followed by job loss or inability to find a job (7.3 %), and the end of a rental contract (5.2 %).

Less frequent reasons included uninhabitable accommodation (4.0%), health reasons (2.0%), and leaving an institution after a long stay with no home to return to (1.1%). Other reasons were reported by 24.5 % of people.

A pie chart showing the share of people in the EU havn experienced housing difficulties in their life, as reported in 2023. Data are analysed by reason and shown as percentage of the population aged 16 or older.

Figure 1: People having experienced housing difficulties in their life, EU, 2023
(Analysed by reason (% population aged 16 or older))
Source: Eurostat (ilc_lvhd05)

Finding a job was the most common solution to overcome housing difficulties

In 2023, 26.5% of people in the EU aged 16 or older reported that they had overcome housing difficulties by finding a job (Figure 2). Moving into social or subsidised private housing accounted for 20.4%, while relationship or family reasons were cited by 14.1%. Health reasons contributed to 1.1%, while 37.9% of people reported other reasons.

A pie chart showing the share of people in the EU having overcome housing difficulties that they experienced in their life, as reported in 2023. Data are analysed by reason and shown as percentage of the population aged 16 or older.

Figure 2: People having overcome housing difficulties experienced in their life, EU, 2023
(Analysed by reason (% population aged 16 or older))
Source: Eurostat (ilc_lvhd06)

Renting difficulties

Renting difficulties were higher among households with dependent children in most EU countries

In 2023, 13.0% of the EU population aged 16 or over reported renting difficulties in the last 12 months (Figure 3). Households with dependent children were more affected, with 18.1% experiencing difficulties, compared with 10.2% of households without children.

Greece (26.1%), France (24.1%), and Spain (17.2%) had the highest overall rates of renting difficulties, while the lowest rates were observed in Romania (0.3%), Slovakia (1.1%), Belgium (4.3%), Germany and Hungary (both 4.7%).

For households with dependent children, France (33.2%), Greece (26.3%), and Spain (20.8%) reported the highest rates, while Romania (less than 0.0%), Slovakia (1.2%), and Bulgaria (3.7%) had the lowest. Among households without dependent children, Greece (25.9%), France (18.0%), and Slovenia (15.3%) faced the most difficulties, while the lowest rates were found in Romania (0.4%), Slovakia (1.1%), and Cyprus (2.5%).

Most EU countries reported higher rates of renting difficulties among households with dependent children compared with those without. The widest gaps were observed in France (15.2 pp) and Cyprus (12.1 pp). In contrast, minimal differences were observed in Slovakia (0.1 pp) and Greece (0.4 pp). Notably, households without dependent children reported higher renting difficulties than those with children in Lithuania (7.3 pp), Bulgaria (5.4 pp), Slovenia (3.7 pp), Croatia (0.6 pp), and Romania (0.4 pp).

Figure 3: People having experienced renting difficulties in the last 12 months, 2023
(Analysed by household composition (% population aged 16 or older))
Source: Eurostat (ilc_lvhd13)

People aged 30 to 54 and at risk of poverty or social exclusion reported the highest percentage of renting difficulties compared with other age groups

In 2023, the rate of people in the EU that reported experiencing renting difficulties in the last 12 months decreased with age (Figure 4). Younger people aged 16 to 29 years (14.8%) and those aged 30 to 54 years (14.7%) reported the highest rates, while the rates decreased to 12.8% for those aged 55 to 64 years and further to 6.7% for people aged 65 years or over. The same pattern was observed among those not at risk of poverty or social exclusion, with renting difficulties decreasing from 10.6% for those aged 16 to 29 years to 4.1% for those aged 65 or older.

Among people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, renting difficulties were notably higher, peaking at 27.7% for people aged 30 to 54 years. High rates were also observed among people aged 55 to 64 years (24.0%) and 16 to 29 years (22.1%), with a decrease to 12.9% for those aged 65 years or older.

Figure 4: People having experienced renting difficulties in the last 12 months, EU, 2023
(Analysed by age and risk of poverty or social exclusion situation (%))
Source: Eurostat (ilc_lvhd08)

Source data for tables and graphs

Housing and renting difficulties: tables and figures

Data sources

The data used in this article are derived from the EU Statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC). EU-SILC data are compiled annually and are the main source of statistics that measure income and living conditions in Europe; it is also the main source of information used to link different aspects relating to the quality of life of households and individuals.

The reference population for the information presented in this article is all private households and their current members residing in the territory of an EU Member State (or non-member country) at the time of data collection; people living in collective households are generally excluded from the target population. The data for the EU are population-weighted averages of national data. The reference period for individuals' characteristics is 2023. The data is available for the 27 Member States as well as the EFTA countries Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and the candidate countries Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania and Türkiye.

The six-yearly module Intergenerational transmission of disadvantages and housing difficulties collects data on family conditions and housing challenges experienced by individuals. The section on “housing difficulties” covers different aspects of having experienced past housing difficulties in a person’s lifetime, including reasons for such difficulties, duration of the most recent experience, and how individuals overcame these challenges, as well as specific questions on renting difficulties.

Housing difficulties are defined as situations where a person had no place of their own (either owned or rented) and was forced to stay with friends or family, use emergency or temporary accommodation, live in a place not intended as a permanent home, or sleep in a public space. Temporary displacement due to unforeseen events, such as natural disasters or emergencies, is not considered housing difficulties if the person still had a permanent residence (either owned or rented) to return to.

The respondent should not be considered to have had housing difficulties if they were forced to leave their home for a few days due to an unforeseen event such as the risk of an earthquake, fire in the neighbourhood or evacuation of the neighbourhood because a bomb was being defused, etc., but they still had a place of their own that they could return or move into. If a person experienced housing difficulties more than once during their lifetime, only the most recent occurrence is reported.

Renting difficulties occur when an individual is unable to cover the cost of their accommodation, during the last 12 months, using their own resources, without having to borrow money, take out a loan, or resort to other financial means to pay their rent.

Context

Commission delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2175 specifies that the 2023 SILC survey will collect three-yearly variables on labour market and housing, six-yearly variables on intergenerational transmission of disadvantages and housing difficulties, as well as an ad hoc subject on households energy efficiency.

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