Young people are living at family home for longer, with men doing so more than women

Young people aged 20 to 34 are increasingly living at home for longer as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, with men more likely to do so than women.  

34% of men aged 20 to 34 live with their parents as opposed to less than a quarter (22%) of women, according to new data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The number of young people aged 20 to 34 living with their parents has increased over the last decade, rising by 10% between 2014 and 2024 from 3.3 million people to 3.6 million.

The current economic situation is likely to be the main cause of the increase in young people living at home

The current economic situation is likely to be the main cause of the increase in young people living at home, as shown by data collected by Deloitte in 2023 where young people were asked how the cost-of-living crisis affects them.

In the survey, half of Gen Z individuals and 47% of millennials said that starting a family seems likely to be out of reach or very hard, while almost two-thirds of those surveyed said that owning their own home will be harder or even impossible as a result of the economic climate.

These statistics suggest that young people may not be living at home by choice, rather out of necessity. The ONS themselves said that the increase in young people living at home was “part of a trend of adults reaching milestones later in life” which could be influenced by rising housing costs.

The proportion of employed 23-to-34-year-olds living with their parents in the EU rose from 24% in 2017 to 27% in 2022

While there is now a wider range of second jobs available for young people to use to earn extra money, such as online sales or gig work, the sheer number of young people who said they feel unlikely to buy a house or start a family suggests that even these second jobs are not always enough.

The situation in the UK reflects wider trends across Europe. Eurostat data shared with The Guardian has shown that the proportion of employed 23-to-34-year-olds living with their parents in the EU rose from 24% in 2017 to 27% in 2022.