Eurostat: Youth in Bosnia leave parental home at 29.5 yrs of age, EU average is 26.3

The average age of leaving the parental home in the EU has generally remained around 26 since 2002.

Young people in Croatia left their parental home the latest, at an average age of 31.5. They were followed by Greece and Slovakia at 30.9, and Spain and Italy at 30.2.

On the other hand, young people in Finland became independent the earliest, at an average age of 21.4, followed by Denmark at 21.8, and Estonia and Lithuania at 22.7.

Eurostat also noted a link between leaving the parental home earlier and higher youth employment.

The employment rate in the EU among people aged 20 to 29 was 65.5 percent in 2025. In most countries where young people leave their parental homes earlier than the EU average, the employment rate in this age group was above the European average.

Thus, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Sweden, where young people generally leave their parental homes earlier, also recorded higher youth employment rates.

Conversely, in countries where young people tend to live with their parents longer, such as Greece, Croatia, Spain and Italy, the employment rate among people aged 20 to 29 was below the EU average