Key facts
- The average age of first-time homebuyers across 23 European countries is 31.3 years.
- Homeownership rates in the EU stood at 68.5% in 2025, down from 2010.
- The UK has the lowest average age for first-time buyers at 28.4 years, with significant family financial support.
- Germany has the highest average age among major economies at 33.6 years, with renting being a widely accepted choice.
- 40.2% of UK buyers purchase their first home by age 25, the highest share among the surveyed countries.
Across 23 European countries, the average age at which individuals purchase their first home is 31.3 years, according to the RE/MAX European Housing Trend Report 2025. This figure varies significantly across the continent, with Malta having the earliest average age at 28 years and Switzerland and Greece reporting the latest at 34.7 years.
Factors influencing these ages include affordability, family support, and cultural acceptance of renting. In the UK, the average age is 28.4 years, with over half of young adults receiving financial assistance from family. This contrasts with Germany, where the average age is 33.6 years, and renting is a more culturally accepted long-term housing choice.
Spain follows the UK with an average age of 30.9 years. In Italy and Spain, young adults tend to live with their families until around age 26, which aids savings but delays independent homeownership. France's average age is 32.5 years, with less common family financial support for buyers.
Turkey ranks third with an average age of 34.1 years. Other countries with average ages above the European mean include Czechia (33.2), Poland (32.7), Bulgaria (32.5), Slovenia (32.2), and Croatia (32.1). Hungary (28.5) and the Netherlands (28.8) are among the countries with the earliest average purchase ages.
Further data reveals that 40.2% of UK buyers purchase their first home by age 25, the highest proportion among the surveyed countries. Conversely, Greece has the lowest rate at 12.1% for this age group. By age 35, only 50.4% of Greeks have bought their first home, compared to the European average of 69.5%. Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the UK, and Hungary show high rates of homeownership by age 35, exceeding 80%.
Notably, the analysis found no correlation between the average age of first-time buyers and overall homeownership rates across European countries.