WIREDGOV

The number of people aged 20 to 34 who still live with their parents increased by 20 per cent between 1997 and 2011, according to analysis published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Nearly 3 million young adults were living with a parent or parents in 2011, an increase of almost half a million since 1997 – although the number of people aged 20-34 remained largely the same during this period.
1.8 million men and 1.1 million women aged between 20 and 34 were living with their parents in 2011.

While the numbers have grown steadily since 1997, so have the proportions. In 1997, one in four men and one in seven women aged 20 to 34 lived with their parents. This had grown to one in three men and one in six women by 2011.

There are a number of reasons that might account for this growth in numbers living with parents, but it is noteworthy that the increase over the past decade coincides with an increase in the average price paid by first-time home-buyers of 40 per cent between 2002 and 2011.

London has the lowest proportion of young people living with their parents, at 19.7 per cent.  This is largely due to the influx of young people from other regions and countries seeking employment and study opportunities.

By contrast, the figure in Northern Ireland, at 35.3 per cent, is the highest in the UK. This is partly because the size of Northern Ireland means that it is more feasible to commute to work or university and remain living with parents than in other parts of the UK. Secondly, the prevalence of cohabitation in Northern Ireland is around half of that observed in the rest of the UK.

Background notes