According to the latest Eurostat data, every sixth inhabitant of the Czech Republic lives in an overcrowded household. A total of 1.64 million Czechs thus live in a household with limited comfort and privacy. Compared to previous years, the number decreased, despite a significant increase in rent and real estate prices. In 2019, according to Eurostat statistics , exactly 15.4 percent of the Czech population lived in overcrowded households, which is the lowest in the entire history of monitoring.
Since 2017, the domestic situation has been better than the European Union average. In 2019, it was 17.2 percent. Based on the methodology of the European Statistical Office, a household should have at least one room for an adult couple, one room for every person over the age of 18, and at least one room for two people under the age of eighteen. Otherwise, according to Eurostat, the living situation is defined as a crowded household. In 2007, almost one in three Czechs lived in an overcrowded household, which equaled 3.35 million Czechs. Since then, however, this share has been steadily declining despite a sharp rise in housing prices. Eurostat Overcrowded homes. “Since 2014, Czechs have benefited from significant wage growth. They, therefore, decided to buy their own real estate to a relatively high degree, especially for a mortgage. As a result, despite rising prices of real estate and rents, the comfort of domestic housing increased. This is the key reason why the share of the population living in overcrowded households is now the lowest in history,” commented Lukáš Kovanda, the chief economist of Trinity Bank.
Romania was the worst performer in the European Union, with more than 45 percent living in overcrowded households. A high share was also observed in Latvia, Bulgaria, and Croatia. “Countries with a higher proportion of overcrowded households are less prepared for the challenges of the pandemic whether because of a tendency to spread the disease more quickly or because of more serious difficulties when working from home. Both are also reflected at the macroeconomic level. The contagion suppresses economic growth and inefficient work from home worsens overall labor productivity,“ Kovanda added. Cyprus, on the other hand, performed best in terms of population, with only 2.2 percent living in overcrowded households. According to statistics, people in Ireland, Malta, or the Netherlands also have comfortable living conditions. Title image: In this picture taken Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, new apartment buildings are being constructed in Prague, Czech Republic. The Czech Republic’s capital has the hottest residential property market in Europe, and it’s becoming a problem. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
