UK 25-Year-Olds Retreat to Parents' Homes at 42% as Home Ownership Falls to 15%
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 28
UK 25-Year-Olds Retreat to Parents' Homes at 42% as Home Ownership Falls to 15%
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jul 28
Summary
42% of UK 25-year-olds now live with their parents, up from 25% in the 1990s, as housing costs for renters and young mortgage holders take their biggest recorded share of income.
Home ownership at age 25 has dropped to 15% from 43% in the mid-1980s, while inflation-adjusted pay has barely moved beyond £28,000 after two decades of stagnation.
Employment has also weakened: the rate for 25-year-old women fell to 71% from 77% a decade ago—the first decline since the 1980s—while men dropped to 76% from 84%.
IFS analysis for the BBC says Gen Z is not necessarily poorer than earlier cohorts at 25, but progress has stalled, delaying milestones such as moving out and buying a home.
The report suggests some catch-up may come in their 30s, but repeated shocks—from the financial crisis to the pandemic and living-cost surge—have made the path into adulthood markedly harder.