Many more young adults continuing to live with parents in the Netherlands

On average, young adults in the Netherlands wait longer to move out of their parental homes, but they also return to their parents’ homes less often after moving out, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported after studying the living conditions of people between the ages of 18 and 31.

In 2019, 16 percent of 18 to 31-year-olds moved out of their parental home, compared to 20 percent in 2021. The decline was strongest in the 18 to 21 age group (-40%), indicating that more young people waited to finish their studies before going to live independently.

The share of young adults who left home as a student decreased from 2014, while the share of working young adults moving out increased. In 2019, 66 percent of young adults already had a job when they moved out of their parents' home, compared to 56 percent in 2011.

The share of young people who moved out to later return to their parental home decreased from 5.4 percent in 2018 to 4.6 percent in 2020, a decrease of 15 percent. According to CBS, young people return to their parental homes less often because, on average, they are older and more often have paid work when they move out.

“Because young adults leave home less and less often while they are still studying and are still relatively young, they may be better prepared for independent living,” the stats office said. “They more often have a stable income and have had more time to prepare for leaving the parental homes.”

Another possible reason young people move back home less is the tight housing market - the housing shortage makes people more reluctant to give up a home. CBS did not look at this effect in its study.