According to the latest data released by the German Federal Statistical Office, more than one-quarter of 25-year-olds in Germany still live with their parents in 2023, and this proportion has remained largely stable since 2020.
At first glance, it seems that the phenomenon of "gnawing the old" is seriously rampant? But is that really the case?
Economic pressure is the main reason!
Lukas Siebenkotten, president of the German Tenants' Association, said economic factors were one of the main reasons. "With an unprecedented scarcity of housing space and extremely high rent levels, young people have no choice."
Indeed, in recent years, the German rental market has been suffering from a long-term tight supply and demand, and rents are high, especially in large cities. For young people with low income levels, it is a huge burden to bear the burden of rent on their own. In order to reduce the financial burden, living with parents has become a helpless move for many people.
The age of leaving home in Germany is considered early in Europe
However, if you look at Europe as a whole, young Germans are already leaving home early.
According to EU statistics, young people in Germany leave their parents' homes at an average age of 23.9, two years earlier than the EU average (26.3 years). The Nordic countries are even earlier, leaving home at 21.4 years in Finland and 21.8 in Denmark and Sweden.
In contrast, young people in southern Europe seem to be more homesick. The last to leave home was Croatia, where the average age was 31.8. Slovakia is 31, Greece is 30.6, Spain is 30.4, Italy and Bulgaria are all around 30.
Sons in EU countries are generally more "home-loving" than daughters
Interestingly, in the EU countries, with the exception of Malta, sons leave home later than daughters. The average age of 23.1 years for women and 24.7 years for men in Germany and 25.4 years for women and 27.2 years for men in the European Union.
According to EU statistics, young people in Germany leave their parents' homes at an average age of 23.9, two years earlier than the EU average (26.3 years). This is an early date in Europe, but even more so in the Nordic countries, where Finland is 21.4 years old, Denmark and Sweden are self-reliant at 21.8 years old.