Latvia's level of ownership was almost the same as Estonia's, with Lithuania's level slightly higher at 88%.
In 2020, 70% of the population in the EU as a whole lived in a household owning their home, while the remaining 30% lived in rented housing.
The highest shares of ownership were observed in Romania, where 96% of the population lived in a household that owned their home, followed by Slovakia (92%), Hungary and Croatia (both 91%).
In all Member States, except for Germany, owning is most common. In Germany’s case, half of the population lived in a household owning their home and the other half in a rented home. The shares of home ownership were lowest also in Austria (55%) and Denmark (59%).
Just over half of the EU population lives in a house
Living in a house or an apartment also differs among the Member States, and also varies depending on whether you live in a city or the countryside. In the EU in 2020, 53 % of the population lived in a house, while 46 % lived in an apartment (1 % lived in other accommodation, such as houseboats, vans etc.). Ireland (92 %) recorded the highest share of the population living in a house, followed by Croatia (78 %), Belgium (77 %) and the Netherlands (75 %). It should be noted that this includes terraced houses.
Houses are most common in over two thirds of the Member States. The highest shares for apartments were observed in Spain (66 %), Latvia (65 %), Estonia (61 %), Greece and Lithuania (both 59 %).
In cities, 72 % of the EU population lived in an apartment and 28 % in a house. For towns and suburbs, the proportions were 59 % of people living in a house and 41 % in an apartment, while in rural areas 82 % of the population lived in a house and only 18 % in an apartment.
In Latvia's cities, just 12.5 % of the population lives in houses (the lowest level in the EU) and 87.5 % live in apartments, while in rural areas the figures are 57.5 % and 42.5 % respectively.
