Housing overcrowding statistics show that inadequate space is unevenly distributed by country, settlement type, age and citizenship. The measures below cover observed EU-SILC results through 2023, selected 2021 subgroup data, and U.S. occupants-per-room measures that are related but not directly interchangeable.
Key Housing Overcrowding Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- 16.8% of the EU population lived in an overcrowded home in 2023.
- The EU overcrowding rate fell from 19.1% in 2010 to 16.8% in 2023.
- Latvia recorded a 40.9% overcrowding rate in 2023, the highest country rate reported in the EU comparison.
- Romania recorded a 40.0% overcrowding rate in 2023.
- Bulgaria recorded a 34.9% overcrowding rate in 2023.
- The Netherlands recorded a 3.8% overcrowding rate in 2023.
- Malta recorded a 2.4% overcrowding rate in 2023.
- Cyprus recorded a 2.2% overcrowding rate in 2023.
- Overcrowding was highest in cities in 24 of 27 EU countries in 2023.
- More than 40% of city residents lived in overcrowded dwellings in three EU countries in 2023.
- 26% of EU residents aged 15–29 lived in overcrowded households in 2021.
- Romania’s 15–29 overcrowding rate was 60% in 2021.
- Bulgaria’s 15–29 overcrowding rate was 57% in 2021.
- 34.2% of non-EU citizens aged 18 or over in the EU lived in overcrowded households in 2023.
- 13.7% of EU nationals aged 18 or over lived in overcrowded households in 2023.
- Poland’s non-EU-citizen overcrowding rate was 53.3% in 2023.
- The displayed 2024 ACS table counted 40,004 District of Columbia occupied units with at least 1.51 occupants per room.
- A historical Census/HUD estimate put U.S. overcrowding at approximately 2.4% of people in 2005.
Contents
- EU scale and long-term trend
- Country comparisons in 2023
- Cities, towns and rural areas
- Young people and age groups
- Citizenship and country of birth
- U.S. occupants-per-room measures
EU Housing Overcrowding Statistics: Scale and Long-Term Trend
Eurostat’s overcrowding measure identifies households that lack the rooms appropriate for household size, family situation and ages. It measures people living in overcrowded homes, not a count of overcrowded dwellings.
According to Housing in Europe – 2024 edition, 16.8% of the EU population lived in an overcrowded home in 2023, down from 19.1% in 2010. This is an observed Eurostat indicator, and the long-term comparison should not be treated as proof of a particular cause because survey design and country coverage matter.
| EU housing-space indicator | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Overcrowding | 2010 | 19.1% of population |
| Overcrowding | 2023 | 16.8% of population |
| Under-occupation | 2023 | 33.3% of population |
Under-occupation is the opposite housing-space indicator, not another overcrowding estimate. In 2023, Eurostat reported under-occupation rates of 71.3% in Cyprus, 69.2% in Malta and 66.0% in Ireland, compared with 7.2% in Romania, 9.8% in Latvia and 12.3% in Greece; these figures describe excess space under the Eurostat measure rather than crowded conditions.
The source is Housing in Europe – 2024 edition.
Housing Overcrowding Statistics by Country in 2023
The 2023 EU country comparison shows a wide spread between the highest and lowest reported overcrowding rates. The figures below are country estimates from Eurostat and use the same broad EU-SILC indicator, although they should still be read in their national survey context.
| Country | Overcrowding rate, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Latvia | 40.9% |
| Romania | 40.0% |
| Bulgaria | 34.9% |
| Netherlands | 3.8% |
| Malta | 2.4% |
| Cyprus | 2.2% |
The highest values in this supplied comparison were Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria, while the lowest were Cyprus, Malta and the Netherlands. The direct source for all six country figures is Housing in Europe – 2024 edition.
These country values are not a ranking of dwelling quality in every respect. They are estimates of the share of people meeting Eurostat’s overcrowding definition in 2023, and they do not measure floor area, housing costs or the number of dwellings.
Housing Overcrowding Data Across Cities, Towns and Rural Areas
Settlement type is an important dividing line in the 2023 Eurostat data. Overcrowding was highest in cities in 24 of 27 EU countries, using degree-of-urbanisation categories; the city population is therefore not interchangeable with the national population.
The Urban-rural Europe – income and living conditions publication reports that more than 40% of city residents lived in overcrowded dwellings in three EU countries. The country-specific city rates were 43.3% in Romania, 42.8% in Bulgaria and 47.8% in Latvia in 2023.
| Geography or change | Period | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Latvia city residents | 2023 | 47.8% overcrowded |
| Romania city residents | 2023 | 43.3% overcrowded |
| Bulgaria city residents | 2023 | 42.8% overcrowded |
| Portugal cities | 2022–2023 | +4.1 percentage points |
| Austria cities | 2022–2023 | −2.6 percentage points |
| Portugal towns and suburbs | 2022–2023 | +3.5 percentage points |
| Hungary towns and suburbs | 2022–2023 | −4.2 percentage points |
The same Eurostat source reports a 4.1-percentage-point rise for Portugal’s city rate and a 2.6-point fall for Austria’s city rate between 2022 and 2023. Portugal’s towns-and-suburbs rate rose 3.5 points, while Hungary’s fell 4.2 points over the same period.
A separate contextual measure must not be mislabeled: the selected Housing in Europe – 2024 edition publication shows 10.6% in cities and 7.0% in rural areas for housing-cost overburden, not overcrowding. Those values concern housing costs and are not directly comparable with the overcrowding rates above.
Housing Overcrowding Statistics for Young People and Age Groups
Age differences are especially visible among people aged 15–29. Eurostat reported that 26% of EU residents aged 15–29 lived in overcrowded households in 2021, which was 9 percentage points above the all-ages EU rate for that year.
The Eurostat article on the age of leaving the parental home gives the following rounded country figures for 15–29-year-olds in 2021:
| Country or group | Overcrowding rate among ages 15–29, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Romania | 60% |
| Bulgaria | 57% |
| Latvia | 54% |
| Greece | 48% |
| Poland | 47% |
| Cyprus and Malta | about 4% |
The same source provides within-country comparisons showing how strongly age can change the result. Denmark’s young-person rate was 21.6% versus 9.2% for its total population, the Netherlands’ was 7.5% versus 3.4%, and Finland’s was 15.6% versus 7.4%, all in 2021.
These are EU-SILC survey estimates for a defined age group, not a replacement for the 2023 all-population rate. A young-person statistic can reflect household composition and living arrangements as well as the physical characteristics of the home.
Housing Overcrowding by Citizenship and Country of Birth
Citizenship-defined gaps are also substantial in the 2023 EU data. Among people aged 18 or over, 34.2% of non-EU citizens lived in overcrowded households, compared with 13.7% of nationals and 20.8% of EU citizens living in another EU country.
The non-EU-citizen rate rose from 32.9% in 2022 to 34.2% in 2023. These figures are citizenship-defined migrant-integration indicators, so they should not be merged with age-group or all-population estimates.
| Population or country | Overcrowding rate, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Non-EU citizens aged 18+ in the EU | 34.2% |
| Nationals aged 18+ in the EU | 13.7% |
| EU citizens resident in another EU country, aged 18+ | 20.8% |
| Poland, non-EU citizens aged 18+ | 53.3% |
| Italy, non-EU citizens aged 18+ | 50.7% |
| Sweden, non-EU citizens aged 18+ | 48.3% |
| Cyprus, non-EU citizens aged 18+ | 4.0% |
The country extremes come from 34% of non-EU citizens live in overcrowded households. Poland had the highest reported non-EU-citizen rate at 53.3%, followed by Italy at 50.7% and Sweden at 48.3%, while Cyprus had the lowest at 4.0%.
Among nationals, Latvia’s rate was 37.0%, Romania’s was 35.2% and Ireland’s was 2.0% in 2023. These estimates describe citizenship groups aged 18 or over, not country-of-birth groups or the entire population.
U.S. Housing Overcrowding Statistics and Occupants per Room
U.S. sources use related but different operational measures. The Census ACS S2501 subject table defines categories of 1.00 or fewer, 1.01–1.50, and 1.51 or more occupants per room; these bands should not automatically be equated with Eurostat’s overcrowding definition.
In the displayed 2024 ACS 1-year S2501 table for the District of Columbia, the geography contained 154,925 occupied housing units. The displayed counts were 98,429 units at 1.00 or fewer occupants per room, 36,329 at 1.01–1.50, and 40,004 at 1.51 or more.
| Displayed 2024 ACS DC measure | Occupied units |
|---|---|
| Total occupied housing units | 154,925 |
| 1.00 or fewer occupants per room | 98,429 |
| 1.01–1.50 occupants per room | 36,329 |
| 1.51 or more occupants per room | 40,004 |
| First displayed total estimate | 47.0% |
The table’s percentages are rounded and include margins of error, and the displayed geography is the District of Columbia rather than the United States. The source is S2501: Occupancy Characteristics, 2024 ACS 1-Year Estimates.
The 2023 ACS S2501 variable dictionary confirms the occupants-per-room categories as variable definitions. For historical context only, the Census/HUD report Measuring Overcrowding in Housing estimated that approximately 2.4% of people were overcrowded under its assessed measure in 2005.
The 2005 estimate uses a historical report and a different definition and source survey from current ACS and Eurostat indicators. It is therefore useful as historical U.S. context, not as a directly comparable current rate.