Young people’s household income in Europe varies widely between countries, with new Eurostat figures showing that young people aged 18 to 24 in France live in households with a median equivalised disposable income of €23,850 in 2025, above the European Union average but below the French national median.
The figures come as protests over the cost of living, unaffordable housing, low wages and pressure on public services have spread across several European countries in recent weeks. In France, students and young people have been among those taking to the streets, drawing renewed attention to the financial pressures facing Generation Z.
Alberto Alemanno, an EU law expert, has warned against describing the protests as a “teenage revolution”. He argues that youth demonstrations across Europe reflect different concerns and circumstances rather than a single, uniform movement.
Household income provides one way to examine the economic position of young Europeans, although it does not capture every aspect of their financial circumstances. Eurostat’s measure of equivalised disposable income calculates a household’s income after taxes and other deductions, including social benefits, and adjusts it for household size and composition. The resulting figure helps compare living standards between households of different sizes.
The data for people aged 18 to 24 measure the income of the households in which they live, not their personal earnings. This distinction is important because some young adults remain financially connected to their parents, while others support themselves through work, benefits or a combination of income sources.
In France, the median equivalised disposable income of households containing young people aged 18 to 24 was €23,850 in 2025, compared with the EU average of €21,482. France ranked 11th among 34 European countries covered by the comparison, including EU member states, candidate countries and members of the European Free Trade Association.
However, the figures do not fully reflect the financial challenges experienced by every young person in France. Anne Brunner, director of studies at the Observatoire des inégalités, told Euronews Business that the indicator does not capture students living independently or in collective accommodation, such as university halls of residence, which are excluded from the sample.
She also stressed that the 18 to 24 age group includes people in very different situations. Some are students living with their parents, while others are already working. Young workers with limited qualifications may face insecure employment, low wages and a heightened risk of poverty.
The differences between countries are substantial. Switzerland recorded the highest median equivalised household income for young people, at €52,206, followed by Luxembourg at €43,028 and Austria at €37,299.
Among Europe’s four largest economies, Germany recorded the highest figure at €26,330. Italy stood at €20,315 and Spain at €19,338, both below the EU average.
At the other end of the scale, North Macedonia recorded a median of €4,640, followed by Albania at €5,736 and Turkey at €5,987. The figures were also less than half the EU average in Bulgaria, at €8,680, Hungary, at €8,576, Serbia, at €7,754, and Romania, at €7,237.
Yet income figures alone cannot explain how comfortably young people live or whether they can afford to establish independent households. The European Youth Forum has pointed out that young adults who remain in the parental home for longer may appear better off in household income statistics because they continue to share resources with their families.
Those who move out must meet housing and living costs using their own resources, which can make their financial position appear weaker even when they are working.
“The paradox is that young people can look better off when they depend on their families for longer, and poorer when they go out on their own,” the European Youth Forum secretariat told Euronews Business.
The distinction is particularly relevant as housing affordability becomes a growing concern across Europe. Young people may struggle to rent a suitable home, save for a deposit or buy property, delaying their ability to live independently even when they have an income of their own.
Comparing young people’s household income with that of the entire population in each country provides another perspective. In 28 of the 34 countries examined, young people lived in households with a lower median income than the national population as a whole.
Across the EU, the median equivalised disposable income for households with young people aged 18 to 24 was 93.6% of the overall population’s median. The respective figures were €21,482 and €22,939.
France recorded a larger gap. The median for households with young people was 90.1% of the national median, at €23,850 compared with €26,459. The difference amounted to €2,609.
Finland had the widest gap among the countries examined. Households with young people recorded a median income of €22,277, compared with €29,740 for the population as a whole. The younger group’s income was therefore equivalent to 74.9% of the national median.
Denmark followed at 78.3%, Norway at 82.7%, Luxembourg at 86.0% and Sweden at 88.2%.
However, a wider income gap does not necessarily mean young people in these countries face greater financial hardship. Brunner noted that Nordic public policies encourage young adults to become independent earlier, making them more likely to leave their parents’ homes.
When young people live independently, their household income is measured using their own, often modest, resources rather than the combined income of a household that includes their parents. This can widen the statistical gap between younger households and the population as a whole.
“A low ratio in these countries should therefore not be read as a sign of greater hardship,” Brunner said.
The comparison also shows that young people do not have lower median household incomes than the overall population in every country. In six countries, their household income was higher than the national median.
Croatia recorded the highest relative figure, with young people’s households reaching 105.7% of the overall population’s median income. Malta followed at 105.5% and Slovenia at 105.4%. Lithuania and Austria both recorded 102.1%, while Switzerland stood at 100.5%.
Differences in living costs add another layer to the comparison. A higher income does not necessarily translate into greater purchasing power when housing, food, transport and other essentials are more expensive.
To account for these differences, the data can also be compared using purchasing power standards (PPS), a measure designed to make income comparisons more meaningful across countries with different price levels.
On this basis, Austria recorded the highest median equivalised household income for young people, at 33,052 PPS. Luxembourg followed with 32,391 PPS, while Switzerland recorded 29,989 PPS.
France ranked 13th, with 21,446 PPS, slightly above the EU average. Germany stood higher at 24,237 PPS, while Spain recorded 21,272 PPS and Italy 20,883 PPS. Albania, at 8,175 PPS, North Macedonia, at 8,994 PPS, and Montenegro, at 9,955 PPS, recorded the lowest figures.
For the European Youth Forum, the findings reinforce the need to look beyond income when assessing young people’s living standards. Its proposed approach includes considering the value of affordable housing, public services, education, healthcare and social protection, which can reduce the amount households must spend privately to meet essential needs.
“A decent life should not depend on a good salary alone, or on having family wealth to fall back on. It requires decent wages alongside strong public services that make the essentials affordable,” the secretariat told Euronews Business.
The figures offer a useful comparison of household resources across Europe, but they cannot by themselves establish whether young people can afford to move out, find secure work or build financial independence. Their circumstances also depend on employment opportunities, family support, housing costs and the public services available to them.
