Home Ownership in Portugal Remains Above the EU Average
According to Eurostat data for 2024, 74% of people in Portugal lived in owner-occupied homes, placing the country above the European Union average of 68%.
Most Portuguese residents lived in detached or semi-detached houses, which accounted for 51% of all homes. On average, households had 1.7 rooms per person and were occupied by 2.4 residents.
The figures also highlight several housing-related challenges.
Eurostat reports that 15.7% of people in Portugal were unable to keep their homes adequately warm in 2024, significantly above the European Union average of 9.2%.
Portugal recorded the fourth-highest proportion within the EU, behind Bulgaria and Greece (19% each), Lithuania (18%) and ahead of Spain (17.5%). At the opposite end of the scale were Finland (2.7%), Slovenia (3.3%) and Poland (3.3%).
Across the European Union, 68% of people lived in owner-occupied homes. As in Portugal, houses were the most common type of dwelling, representing 51% of housing stock, with an average of 1.7 rooms per person and 2.3 occupants per household.
Regarding occupancy levels, 11% of people in Portugal lived in overcrowded housing in 2024, compared with the EU average of 17%.
According to Eurostat, Germany was the only Member State where more people lived in rented accommodation than in owner-occupied homes, with 53% of residents renting their homes. Austria (46%) and Denmark (39%) followed.
At the other end of the ranking, Romania recorded the highest home ownership rate in the European Union at 94%, followed by Slovakia (93%), Hungary (92%) and Croatia (91%).
Houses were the most common type of dwelling in around two-thirds of EU Member States. Ireland recorded the highest proportion at 90%, followed by Belgium and the Netherlands (77% each) and Croatia (76%).
Apartments were most common in Spain (65%), Latvia (64%) and Malta (63%).
Average household occupancy across the EU ranged from 3.1 people per dwelling in Slovakia, followed by Poland (2.9) and Croatia and Ireland (2.7), to just 2.0 in Germany, Denmark and Sweden and 1.9 in Finland and Lithuania.
Romania recorded the highest overcrowding rate in the European Union, with 41% of residents living in overcrowded homes, followed by Latvia (39%) and Bulgaria (34%). The lowest rates were recorded in Cyprus (2%), Malta (4%) and the Netherlands (5%).
Source: Eurostat / Lusa News Agency
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