The housing crisis in Spain has pushed youth emancipation to its lowest level on record. According to the Spanish Youth Council (CJE), only 14.5% of 16- to 29-year-olds lived independently in 2025, down from previous years.
A young worker must allocate 98.7% of their net salary, around 1,190 euros per month, to rent a one-person flat, where the average rent now stands at 1,176 euros. The average age for leaving home has now climbed above 30.
“For young people, moving out means becoming poorer,” says Andrea Henry, president of the CJE. She warns that the labor market and housing market have become incompatible for this generation.
Even shared housing is increasingly unaffordable, consuming 33.6% of a young worker’s salary. The CJE reports that among young renters, the risk of poverty jumps from 25.9% before paying rent to 43% afterward, highlighting the structural nature of the crisis.
Financial dependence on families is now the deciding factor in whether young people can leave home, while homeownership remains out of reach for most. The CJE is calling for public measures to expand affordable housing supply.