OECD Data Shows Young Europeans Locked Out of Homeownership as Rates Fall Across Generations

Homeownership rates among young Europeans have declined sharply over recent decades, with an 8 percentage point gap between the 1975 and 1985 birth cohorts, according to OECD data covering 20 EU countries. By age 32, 60% of those born around 1975 owned a home, falling to 58% for the 1980 cohort and 52% for the 1985 cohort. The downward trend continues: by age 29, homeownership stood at 52% for the 1980 cohort, declining to 45% and 41% for the 1985 and 1990 cohorts, respectively. The OECD cites rising interest rates since 2021, house prices outpacing wage growth, stricter mortgage lending, and delayed labor market entry due to higher education enrollment. Country-level data reveal the steepest declines in Ireland (81% to 53%), Greece (78% to 58%), UK (74% to 56%), and Spain (77% to 60%). Slovakia, Czechia, and Poland recorded increases linked to post-socialist housing privatization.