Young people in Macedonia are leaving their parents’ homes considerably later than the European Union average, according to the latest Eurostat figures for 2025. The average age at which young people in Macedonia leave the parental home is 30.7 years, compared with 26.3 years across the EU. The figures highlight a significant difference in the transition to independent living and show how family circumstances, employment opportunities and housing conditions can influence when young Europeans establish their own households. Across Europe, the age of leaving the parental home varies widely. Croatia recorded the highest average at 31.5 years, followed by Greece and Slovakia at 30.9 years, while Spain and Italy both recorded an average of 30.2 years. At the other end of the scale, young people in Finland left home at an average age of 21.4, followed by Denmark at 21.8 and Estonia and Lithuania at 22.7 years. Macedonia’s 30.7 year average therefore places it among the countries where young people remain in the parental household for the longest period.
The figures are also notable when Macedonia is compared with other countries in the region. Young people in Serbia left the parental home at an average age of 30.1 years, while the figure was 29.5 years in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 27.9 years in Bulgaria. The data suggests that living with parents into the late twenties and early thirties is relatively common across parts of the Balkans, in contrast with northern European countries where young people tend to establish independent households much earlier. Eurostat also points to employment as one factor connected with the age at which young people leave home. In the EU, the employment rate for people aged 20 to 29 was 65.5% in 2025. Countries where young people generally leave their parents earlier, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Sweden, tend to have employment rates above the EU average for this age group. Meanwhile, several countries where young people leave home later, including Greece, Croatia, Spain and Italy, recorded employment rates below the EU average.
In Macedonia, the employment rate among people aged 20 to 29 was 50.2% in 2025, considerably below the EU average for the same age group. The figures do not by themselves establish that employment is the reason young people remain with their parents longer, but they show a clear difference between Macedonia and the EU in both youth employment and the average age of leaving the parental home. For many young adults, the move toward independent living can also depend on the cost and availability of housing, income and broader economic conditions.
