Almost 5% of adults in the European Union reported experiencing housing difficulties in their lifetime, with those at risk of poverty or social exclusion facing greater challenges, according to data released by Eurostat.
The EU statistics office revealed that in 2023, 4.9% of individuals aged 16 and over across the bloc encountered housing difficulties.
The disparity between those at risk of poverty or social exclusion and those not at risk was significant, with 4.9% and 3.9% reporting housing difficulties respectively.
Cyprus topped the list with 11.2% of adults facing housing challenges, followed by Finland at 10.8% and Denmark at 9.4%. In contrast, Hungary and Poland reported the lowest rates at 0.8% each.
The data highlighted a marginal difference between men (4.9%) and women (4.8%) overall. However, among those at risk of poverty, men (9.0%) were more affected than women (8.1%).
Age played a crucial role, with young adults aged 16-29 and those aged 30-54 reporting the highest rates of rental difficulties at 14.8% and 14.7% respectively. The rates decreased to 12.8% for the 55-64 age group and 6.7% for those 65 and older.
Households with dependent children were more likely to face rental difficulties in most EU countries. France showed the largest gap, with a 15.2 percentage point difference between households with and without children.
The report defined rental difficulties as the inability to cover accommodation costs over the past 12 months using one’s own resources, without resorting to borrowing or other financial means.
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