Spain has a housing problem that has been getting worse for years, and it has already changed the way its young people think about their future.
Buying a flat in Madrid, Barcelona or Málaga is, for most people under 40, mission impossible. Renting alone is no more viable, and those who move out on their own devote on average 98.7% of their salary to housing.
The result is a generation that feels trapped. Only 14.5% of young people aged 16 to 29 have managed to move out, and the average age for leaving the parental home has risen to 30, compared with 26 in the European Union.
According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), 44.3% of young people aged 26 to 34 were still living in the family home in 2025.
The previous generation could buy flats, cars and even second homes on an average wage. Today that is a pipe dream.
