People in the Netherlands spend almost a quarter of their income on housing costs, the sixth highest proportion in the EU, latest figures show.

The statistics agency CBS said housing costs had fallen slightly relative to income since 2015, but were still above the European average of 20%.

Greece had the highest proportion in the EU at 34.2%, followed by Denmark and Germany. The Dutch figure of 23% was just below Bulgaria, where both incomes and housing costs are much lower.

“Bulgaria has one of the lowest [average] incomes in Europe, which means housing costs quickly take up a larger share of income,” CBS chief economist Peter Hein van Mulligen said.

The annual general welfare survey also found that young Dutch citizens were among the most likely in the EU to have their own place to live.

Just over one in six Dutch people aged 25 to 30 still lived in their parents’ home in 2022, compared to 80% of Croatians.

“In southern Europe it’s more normal for young people to stay living at home for longer,” said Van Mulligen. “In the northern countries it’s the exact opposite, and that’s kind of where the Netherlands belongs.”

Rents in the Netherlands increased by an average of 18.5% between 2015 and 2022, putting the country mid-table in the European rankings. The EU average was just over 13%.

Rents rose by more than 60% over the same period in Lithuania, Hungary and Slovenia, while in Greece they fell by just over 2%.