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Europe’s east–west split has once again shown up clearly in housing, with homeownership rates climbing above 90% in much of Central and Eastern Europe, while Türkiye remains near the bottom of the ranking, according to the latest Eurostat data for 2024.
Eurostat’s most recent figures point to a long-standing structural difference across the continent.
Central and Eastern European countries continue to stand out with very high levels of homeownership, while Western Europe shows a stronger preference for renting.
Romania tops the list as the country with the highest share of homeowners, followed closely by Slovakia and Hungary. Croatia and Serbia are also near the top, with ownership rates approaching 90 percent.
In these countries, housing is widely viewed as a core form of private wealth and a long-term investment, a pattern shaped by historical privatization processes and limited rental alternatives.
In Türkiye, the homeownership rate stood at 55.8 percent in 2024. With this figure, the country ranked 29th out of 32 countries included in the comparison. Only Austria and Germany were placed just below Türkiye, while Switzerland came last.
Eurostat data show that Türkiye remains well below both the overall European average and the European Union average. Indirect assessments in the data link this position to rising housing prices, tighter access to mortgage credit, and a growing share of households relying on renting rather than ownership.
Western European countries generally record lower homeownership rates. Germany and Switzerland sit at the bottom of the list, while France, Denmark, and the Netherlands also show relatively high shares of tenants.
Analysts often point out that well-developed rental markets, extensive social housing schemes, and a culture of long-term renting have helped keep ownership levels lower in these economies.
According to experts, the Eurostat figures bring out how housing outcomes across Europe are closely tied to national policy frameworks and market traditions.
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