For many young people across Europe, leaving the family home is no longer a natural step into adulthood.

Rising rents, expensive mortgages and unstable incomes are changing how an entire generation lives. In the Czech Republic, this shift is becoming increasingly visible.

According to the latest data from Eurostat, more than a quarter of Czechs aged between 25 and 35 still live with their parents. The figure stands at 25.9 percent and continues to grow.

Similar patterns can be seen across the region, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, where housing costs are rising faster than wages.

The trend is even more pronounced in neighbouring Poland. Almost 40 percent of single people aged 25 to 35 there still live in their parents’ homes.

Over the past decade alone, that share has increased by ten percentage points. Among Poles aged 18 to 34, nearly seven out of ten have not yet moved out. Within the European Union, Poland now ranks fifth in this category.

Experts say the reasons go far beyond individual choices. Sociologist Vojtěch Bednář points to a mix of low incomes and long-term uncertainty.

Young people today, he argues, grow up in an atmosphere shaped by warnings about economic downturns, geopolitical risks and pressure on social systems. Combined with wages that often fail to match living costs, many decide that staying at home is the safer option.

Economics also plays a central role. Housing prices in Czech cities have risen sharply in recent years, while rents continue to climb. Buying a flat has become out of reach for many first-time buyers, even those with stable jobs.

As a result, the traditional path from school to work to independent living is being delayed.

Across Europe, the Czech Republic is far from alone. In southern countries such as Italy, staying in the family home well into adulthood has long been common.

In recent years, however, the highest shares of young adults living with parents have been recorded in Croatia, showing that the phenomenon is no longer limited to cultural traditions but driven by economic reality.

Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more