A report by the Youth Council of Spain (CJE), indicates how young Spaniards must allocate more than 90% of their salary to get independent without sharing housing. The study presented on Tuesday on the occasion of Youth Day, also points out that even renting a simple room in a shared floor represents more than 35% of its salary.
The panorama is increasingly restrictive: there are 102 thousand 203 young people less living outside the family home compared to 2023, and the emancipation rate has collapsed to 15.2%, its lowest level since 2006.
At the end of 2024, the average rent of a free home reached 1,080 euros per month, historical record since there are records. For a young wage earner, that implies allocating 92.3% of its salary. Even considering the joint income of a home, the effort rises to 46.8%, well above the 30% recommended by international organizations.
Renting a room is not an affordable solution: the medium price, 380 euros, also exceeds that threshold.
Madrid and Catalonia with the highest independence rates
Madrid and Catalonia lead the highest emancipation rates in Spain (17.9% and 17.6% respectively), while Castilla-La Mancha (10.6%) and Andalusia (12%) record the lowest. The salary differences are also notable: a young Madrid earns on average 17,563 euros annually compared to the 11,793 of the Canary Islands.
Together, the medium youth salary increased by 11% year -on -year, to 14,046 euros, and unemployment descended to 19.1%, its minimum in a second semester since before the great recession. However, the CJE warns that these improvements have not facilitated emancipation, due to the sustained house of housing.
The report also disassembles the stereotype of a “Ni-Ni” youth: less than 3% of young people neither study nor work, while 35.5% combines employment and training.
See: Housing in Mexico can be seen 8.4% in the first half of 2025
Housing more expensive than ever
As for the purchase of housing, the average price at the end of 2024 was 197 thousand 210 euros, 7% more than the previous year. This would force a young wage earner to allocate their salary for 14 years to pay it, and to save for four years just to cover the entrance, estimated at 59 thousand euros.
The rent is still the predominant option among emancipated young people (57.9%). 19.7% live alone, while 29.3% share a floor. The emancipation rate among those who have employment is 26.4%, which means that more than seven out of ten young people remain at their parents’ house.
The problem, CJE underlines, is not just accessing a job: in 2024, 30% of young people were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, including 18.8% of those who have employment. Among the unemployed, the rate exceeds 50%.
More than 60% of young people have exceeded compulsory education and almost 30% have higher studies. The formation reduces unemployment – 13.4% between graduates compared to 42.3% among those who only have primary – but does not guarantee to be emancipated. The cost of housing remains the common barrier.
The CJE urges the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda to establish a permanent mechanism to monitor the youth situation and to review ineffective policies. Among the priority measures, they cite the effective application of the law for the right to housing, the reform of the young rental bonus to really reach the entire youth and the construction of the public housing park with 40% reserved for children under 35 years.
With agency information
Follow business information and today in Forbes Mexico
