Young people in North Macedonia leave the parental home at age 30.7, compared with 26.3 in the EU

Eurostat data for 2025 show that young people in North Macedonia live with their parents until the average age of 30.7. In the European Union, meanwhile, they leave the parental home at an average age of 26.3.

Croatia has the highest average age for leaving home, at 31.5. It is followed by Greece and Slovakia, both at 30.9, while in Spain and Italy, young people remain in their parents’ homes until the average age of 30.2.

At the other end of the ranking is Finland, where young people leave home at an average age of 21.4. In Denmark, this happens at age 21.8, while in Estonia and Lithuania it occurs at age 22.7.

Among countries in the region, young people in Serbia live with their parents until age 30.1. The average age is 29.5 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 27.9 in Bulgaria.

Eurostat notes an emerging trend across Europe of young people remaining in their parental homes for longer, linking this phenomenon to their employment levels.

During 2025, 65.5% of young people aged 20 to 29 were employed in the EU. In North Macedonia, the employment rate among young people in the same year reached 50.2%.

In most countries where young people leave the family home before the EU average age, the employment rate among people aged 20 to 29 is above the European average.

The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Sweden are among the countries where young people leave the parental home earlier and youth employment rates are higher. The opposite is seen in Greece, Croatia, Spain and Italy, where young people leave later and the employment rate was below the EU average.