On the occasion of World Youth Day, Eurostat is examining the average age at which young people leave their paternal home. In 2020, across the EU, young people left their parental home at an average age of 26.4 years. However, this average varies between different EU Member States.

The highest ages were recorded in Croatia (32.4), Slovakia (30.9), Malta and Italy (and 30.2). In contrast, Denmark (21.2 years), Luxembourg (19.8) and Sweden (17.5) recorded the lowest average age, all under 22 years old.

In most northern and western countries, young people left their parents’ homes on average in their early to mid-twenties, while in southern and eastern countries the average age was just before or shortly after reaching the age of 30.


In Greece, offspring leave their parents’ home at an older age than the corresponding average age in the EU.

According to Eurostat data in 2020, Greeks leave their parents’ home, at an average age of 29.4, compared to 26.4 in the EU.

In most countries, male offspring are slower to leave their parents’ homes than women.

In Greece, male children leave their paternal home at an average age of 30.8 years, compared to 27.4 years in the EU. On the contrary, women in Greece leave their paternal home at an average age of 28 years, compared to 25.4 years in the EU. Apart from Greece, in seven other countries (Croatia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain) it is observed that men leave their parents’ house at the age of 30.

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