About 69% of European Union households own their homes, with home-ownership in Belgium (72.5%) exceeding this average, according to 2022 data published by Eurostat on Thursday.
Romania tops the list with a home-ownership rate of 95%. Slovakia (93%), Croatia (91%), and Hungary (90%) follow closely.
At the other end of the scale, Sweden (64.2%), France (63.2%), Denmark (59.6%), Austria (51.4%) and Germany (46.7%) record the lowest property ownership rates. All five countries have witnessed a decline since 2021.
Germany is the sole European nation with more renters than homeowners.
Belgium is in 17th place on the list with 72.5% of homeowners, up from 71.3% in 2021.
According to Eurostat, 52% of European Union residents live in houses, the most common type of accommodation in two-thirds of Member States.
Ireland has the most house-dwellers at 89%, followed by the Netherlands (79%), Croatia and Belgium (77% each). Germany (36.5%) and Spain (34.2%) have the fewest houses.
Regarding housing quality, Eurostat data reveals that approximately 17% of the EU population live in overcrowded conditions.
In Belgium, this proportion is significantly lower at 6.2%. Latvia has the highest overcrowding rate with 41.7% of its population affected, trailed by Romania (40.5%) and Bulgaria (36.2%).
Lastly, in 2022, 9.3% of the population struggled to adequately heat their homes, especially in Bulgaria (22.5%). In Belgium, this concerns 5.1% of the population.
