Young people in Spain are now spending nearly all of their wages on rent, a new report shows. According to data from the Emancipation Observatory of the Spanish Youth Council (CJE), a young employee would have to put aside 98.7% of their net salary to lease a home alone. The youth emancipation rate has fallen to 14.5% among 16- to 29-year-olds — the lowest level since records began. The estimated average age for leaving the family home is now over 30.
This means that even full-time workers cannot afford to live independently without falling into financial trouble. The study, published on Friday, notes that the situation is not limited to the unemployed or those already in exclusion. “Even when they are working, a huge proportion of young people cannot build an independent life without falling into precariousness, over-indebtedness or dependence on their families,” it states.
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The numbers paint a stark picture. The average net salary for a young person in Spain is about €1,190 a month. The average rent for a home has reached €1,176. That leaves just €14 for everything else — food, transport, utilities. Andrea Henry, president of the CJE, put it bluntly: “For young people, moving out means becoming poorer.” She added that “the labour market and the housing market no longer speak the same language for young people.”
The analysis also highlights that poverty risk among young tenants jumps sharply once housing costs are accounted for. Before paying rent, 25.9% of young tenants are at risk of poverty. After paying it, that share rises to 43%. The CJE warns that access to housing has become “one of the main drivers of inequality” between generations.
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Many young adults turn to room rentals or shared flats as a cheaper alternative. But even that option is not cheap. The document says that the cost of a shared room now eats up 33.6% of the average salary for a young adult. Sharing does not guarantee affordable conditions in many cities, the Youth Council notes.
Family support is increasingly the deciding factor between those who can move out and those who cannot. The publication stresses that buying a home remains out of reach for a large proportion of youth, and the housing crisis is forcing deeper reliance on parents. This is happening in a context where Spain’s rental market has seen sharp price increases over the past few years.
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The Spanish Youth Council is calling for public measures to expand the supply of affordable housing and make it easier for young people to access decent homes. “The problem is structural and is having serious consequences for an entire generation,” the report warns.