Croatians among top property owners in Europe

Property ownership in Croatia among the top in the EU

2 December 2023 – The share of people living in property they own in Croatia is the third highest among EU member states.

According to the most recent data from Eurostat, 91% of Croatians live in property they own.

The ownership rate is particularly high in Eastern EU member states, such as Romania (95 percent), Slovakia (93 percent), Croatia (91 percent), and Hungary (90 percent).

Germany is the only member of the European Union where there are more tenants than those who own their own house or apartment. 

Last year, the percentage of Germans owning the property they live in dropped from 49 to 47 percent.

After Germany, the second on the list of EU countries with the lowest number of tenants who are also property owners is Austria—their number decreased from 54 to 51 percent, statistical agency Eurostat revealed this week.

Throughout the EU, the number of property owners has decreased by just under one percentage point.

In total, 69 percent of residents in the Union are also property owners, while 31 percent are tenants.

The lowest ownership rates, alongside Germany and Austria, are in Denmark (60 percent) and France (63 percent). 

Outside the EU, Switzerland has an even lower ownership rate than Germany, at 42 percent.

Share of people living in property they own in 2022

1. Romania – 95%
2. Slovakia – 93%
3. Croatia – 91%
4. Hungary – 90% 
5. Lithuania – 89%
6. Poland – 87%
7. Bulgaria – 85%
8. Latvia – 83%
9. Malta – 83%
10. Estonia – 82%