Croatia ranks among Europe’s leaders in home ownership in latest data

Zagreb

Croatia continues to stand out among European Union countries for both home ownership and the type of housing people live in, according to the latest housing analysis released by Eurostat, Poslovni dnevnik reported.

The data highlights significant differences across Europe in how people live — whether they own or rent their homes, the size and type of housing they occupy, and how households are structured. These patterns reflect not only economic conditions but also long-standing cultural and social traditions.

In 2024, around 68 per cent of the EU population living in private households owned their homes, while 32 per cent lived in rented accommodation.

Croatia ranked among the top countries for home ownership, with 91 per cent of residents living in owner-occupied housing. Only Romania (94 per cent), Slovakia (93 per cent) and Hungary (92 per cent) recorded higher shares.

Home ownership remains the dominant form of housing tenure across almost all EU member states. Germany is the sole exception, where renting is more common, with 53 per cent of the population living as tenants. Germany is followed by Austria (46 per cent renters) and Denmark (39 per cent).

Across the EU, 51 per cent of the population lived in houses, while 48 per cent lived in flats, with the remaining one per cent residing in other types of accommodation such as mobile homes or temporary structures.

Ireland recorded by far the highest share of people living in houses, at 90 per cent. It was followed by the Netherlands and Belgium (both 77 per cent) and Croatia (76 per cent), placing Croatia firmly among Europe’s leading countries for house-based living.

In contrast, flats were most common in Spain (65 per cent), Latvia (64 per cent) and Malta (63 per cent).

Eurostat data also shows a clear divide between urban and rural living:

• In cities, 73 per cent of EU residents lived in flats and 27 per cent in houses.

• In towns and suburbs, the pattern was more balanced, with 57 per cent living in houses and 43 per cent in flats.

• In rural areas, house living overwhelmingly dominated, with 83 per cent of residents living in houses and just 16 per cent in flats.

These figures underline the strong link between population density and housing type across Europe.

The size of living space, measured by the average number of rooms per person, also varied significantly between EU countries. In 2024, the EU average stood at 1.7 rooms per person.

The most spacious living conditions were recorded in Malta (2.2 rooms per person), followed by Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands (2.1 rooms).

At the lower end of the scale were Slovakia and Romania (1.1 rooms per person), as well as Poland and Latvia (1.2 rooms).

Household size: Croatia above the EU average

Another key indicator is the average number of people per household. Across the EU, households contained an average of 2.3 people in 2024.

Croatia recorded a higher-than-average figure, with 2.7 people per household, the same as Ireland. Larger household sizes were seen in Slovakia (3.1 people) and Poland (2.9).

By contrast, smaller households were most common in Finland and Lithuania (1.9 people), followed by Germany, Denmark and Sweden (2.0 people).

The latest Eurostat figures confirm that Croatia remains strongly rooted in a culture of home ownership and house living, particularly when compared with many Western European countries where renting and apartment living are more widespread.