Maltese ‘mummy’s boys’ fly the coop at 30

In the EU, the average age of young people leaving the parental household stood at 26.1 in 2013 – but Maltese youths are amongst those who stay at home the longest before flying the nest.

Significant differences were observed across member states in new Eurostat data issued by the European Commission. “Being young in Europe today” covers demography, family and society, health, education, access to and participation in the labour market, living conditions and the digital world.

In 2013, the three Nordic Member States were, by far, the countries where young people left home earliest: at 19.6 years in Sweden, 21.0 years in Denmark and 21.9 years in Finland. They were followed by the Netherlands (23.5), France (23.6) and Germany (23.9). At the opposite end of the scale, young people in Croatia remained the longest in the parental household, with an average age of 31.9, ahead of Slovakia (30.7), Malta (30.1), and Italy (29.9).

It should also be noted that in every EU Member State, young women tend to leave the parental household earlier than men, the highest differences between the genders being registered in Bulgaria (26.8 years for women, compared with 31.3 for men), Romania (26.2 vs. 30.7) and Croatia (30.2 vs. 33.7).

More than 80% of young people in the EU participate in social networks

In 2014, almost 9 out of 10 persons (87%) aged 16-29 used the internet on a daily basis in the EU, while this proportion fell to 65% for the total population. Moreover, almost three-quarters (74%) of young people in the EU used a mobile phone to access the internet, compared with less than half (44%) of the total population. Regarding on-line activities, young people in the EU were more likely to use the internet to make phone or video calls (46% of people aged 16-29, compared with 29% for the total population), to participate in social networks (82% compared with 46%) and to consult wikis for reference (65% compared with 44% in 2013).

Largest share of children in Ireland, lowest in Germany

In 2014, the EU registered 10 million fewer children aged less than 15 than in 1994. The share of children in the total population decreased over the last twenty years in all Member States, except Denmark. The largest reductions in the proportion of children in the population were observed in Cyprus (from 25.2% in 1994 to 16.3% in 2014, or -8.9 percentage points), Poland (-8.7 pp), Slovakia (-8.2 pp) and Malta (-8.0 pp).

In 2014, Ireland (22.0%) recorded by far the largest proportion of children, followed by France (18.6%), the United Kingdom (17.6%), Denmark (17.2%), Sweden (17.1%) and Belgium (17.0%). In contrast, in 2014 the lowest shares of young people where observed in Germany (13.1%), Bulgaria (13.7%) and Italy (13.9%).

At EU level, children accounted for 15.6% of the total population in 2014, down from 18.6% in 1994.

Share of children in EU population expected to decrease

Based on population projections, the share of people aged less than 15 is expected to rise by 2050 in nine Member States compared with 2014, with the highest increases being projected for Lithuania (from 14.6% in 2014 to 16.6% in 2050, or +2.0 percentage points) and Latvia (+1.2 pp). On the other hand, Slovakia (from 15.3% in 2014 to 11.8% in 2050, or -3.5 pp), Portugal (-3.1 pp) Ireland (-2.6 pp), and Spain (-2.0 pp) could register the largest decreases in the share of children in their total population.

At EU level, the share of children is expected to slightly decrease in the future, from 15.6% in 2014 to 15.0% by 2050.