According to the last data released by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), housing conditions differ considerably between Member States. These differences can be seen both in the type of housing in which people live, either a flat or a detached house, as well as in the housing problems they encounter in terms of accessibility, overcrowding, or available facilities.

These data show that in 2009 almost half of EU population lived in a flat, more precisely 42% of EU citizens, 34% in a detached house and 23% in a semi-detached or terraced house. These figures on housing conditions are part of a report released by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Erostat).

Further to the type of housing, the report goes more deep into housing conditions showing that 18% of EU population lived in an overcrowded dwelling in 2009, and that 16% lived in a dwelling where a leaking roof or damp were perceived as a problem. Besides, 7% considered their dwelling to be too dark, and 4% had no indoor flushing toilet and 3% no bath or shower.

In what type of house and do EU population live?

Across Member States, flats are more common in Latvia, detached houses in Slovenia and semi-detached houses in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The type of dwelling in which people live varies greatly between Member States: in twelve Member States, detached houses are the most common type of dwelling, in ten flats and in five semi-detached or terraced houses.

In 2009, over half of the population lived in flats in Latvia (66%), Estonia and Spain (both 65%), Lithuania (58%), Greece (56%), the Czech Republic, Germany and Italy (all 53%), in detached houses in Slovenia (69%), Hungary (68%), Romania (61%), Denmark (58%) and Sweden (51%), and in semi-detached or terraced houses in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (both 61%) as well as Ireland (58%).

Housing conditions can also be analysed through the problems of damp, darkness or the availability of sanitary equipment. The proportion of the population living in a dwelling where they declared there was a problem with a leaking roof or damp in the walls ranged from 5% in Finland, 7% in Slovakia and Sweden and 8% in Denmark to 31% in Slovenia, 29% in Cyprus, 26% in Latvia and 24% in Bulgaria.

There were significant differences between Member States when considering the sanitary equipment of dwellings. The share of persons living in dwellings with no indoor flushing toilet ranged from less than 1% in 15 Member States to 43% in Romania, 26% in Bulgaria and 17% in Lithuania and Latvia. The proportion of the population living in dwellings with no bath or shower ranged from less than 1% in 17 Member States to 41% in Romania, 18% in Latvia and 16% in Lithuania and Bulgaria.

18% of EU population lives in an overcrowded dwelling

Overcrowding depends on the relation between the number of persons in a household and the number of rooms in each dwelling. In 2009, the share of persons living in an overcrowded dwelling ranged widely between Member States, from 1% in Cyprus, 2% in the Netherlands, 3% in Spain and 4% in Ireland, Belgium and Malta to 58% in Latvia, 55% in Romania and Hungary, 49% in Poland and Lithuania and 47% in Bulgaria.