According to data from the European statistical agency Eurostat, Croats are the absolute record holders in the European Union for the average age of leaving the parental home, which directly reflects the economic and cultural circumstances in the country.

The average age at which young people leave the family nest in Croatia is an incredible 31.3 years, meaning our country far exceeds the European Union average and convincingly holds first place.

Far from the European average

Eurostat data for 2024, published in September 2025, show that the average age of moving out for young people across the entire European Union was 26.2 years, which is only a slight drop compared with 26.3 years recorded in 2023. Since 2002, this average age has moved within a narrow range, with the lowest value of 26.1 years in 2019, while the peak was in 2006 with an average of 26.8 years.

Croatia is thus part of the group of Mediterranean and Eastern European countries in which young people postpone independence until their thirties. Besides Croatia, high averages are also recorded by Slovakia with 30.9 years, Greece with 30.7 years, Italy with 30.1 years, and Spain with exactly 30 years.

On the other side of the continent, in the Scandinavian countries, young people become independent significantly earlier. The lowest average ages of leaving the parental home were recorded in Finland at 21.4 years, Denmark at 21.7 years, and Sweden at 21.9 years.

What does Eurostat say about housing costs?

Amid constant public debates about rising housing costs, Eurostat also analyzed how they affect young people aged 15 to 29.

Although the problem of expensive housing is generally present, the data show that young people are somewhat more burdened by these costs. In 2024, 9.7 percent of young people in the EU lived in households that spent 40 percent or more of their disposable income on housing, while that percentage for the overall population was slightly lower, namely 8.2 percent.

It is interesting to observe the connection between the age of moving out and cost overburden.

Countries where young people move out early, such as Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and Finland, record a higher rate of housing cost overburden for young people. For example, Denmark and Greece record the highest overburden rates at 28.9 percent and 30.3 percent respectively.

However, countries where young people leave home later, including Croatia (2.1%), Cyprus (2.8%), and Slovenia (3.0%), usually record lower rates of housing cost overburden. Greece is an exception, where young people leave home late but are still highly burdened by housing costs.