People in their early 30s are not buying as many homes as they used to in South Africa, according to data from Lightstone Property.
Between 2005 and 2025, the number of people 35 and younger buying homes has dropped by 58%.
So why aren’t as many young people buying homes?
Lightstone Property says this is because of several factors. Houses are more expensive, and banks have stricter bond requirements. For potential owners, wages are stagnant, living costs are high, and South Africa has an unemployment rate of 40.6% for people in the 25-34 age group, according to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Q1 of 2026.
The gap between generations shows up starkly in who actually owns property. Under-35s make up 37% of South Africa's population but hold just 7% of properties owned. At the other end, people over 50 are 29% of the population but own 68% of properties, more than double their population share.
