During these times of coronavirus pandemic, the social distancing measures imposed across Europe to limit the spread of the virus have forced people to stay at home. In 2018, 46% of the EU population lived in flats, while a small majority of people lived in houses. Just over one third (35%) of the population lived in detached houses and almost one fifth (19%) lived in semi-detached or terraced houses.
Flats were the preferred residence type in nine Member States, notably in Latvia (66%), Spain (65%), Estonia (62%) and Greece (61%). The lowest shares were recorded in Ireland (8%) and the Netherlands (20%).
By contrast, more than two thirds of the population lived in detached houses in Croatia (70%), followed by Slovenia (66%), Hungary and Romania (both 65%), Denmark (53%), Poland and Slovakia (both 50%). The Netherlands (58%) and Ireland (52%) were the only EU Member States where more than half of the population lived in a semi-detached house in 2018.
Source dataset: ilc_lvho01
7 out of 10 persons lived in an owner-occupied residence
In 2018, seven out of every ten (70%) persons in the EU lived in a house or flat they owned. There were more owners than tenants in every EU Member State in 2018, with the highest shares of owners in Romania (96%), Slovakia (91%), Croatia and Lithuania (both 90%) and the lowest shares in Germany (51%) and Austria (55%).
Note: The European Union (EU) includes 27 EU Member States. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020. Further information is published here.
For further information: Statistics Explained article Living conditions in Europe - housing quality
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