Belgians prefer roomy, one-family homes

While Belgium is one of the world's most densely populated countries, its residents live in some of the least densely populated households in Europe. The vast majority of homes in Belgium have plenty of living space for each family member. Only 2% of families in Belgium live in 'overcrowded' conditions, the lowest level in the European Union, writes Metro based on a press release from the European statistics agency Eurostat.

Overcrowded homes are homes where the residents do not have enough living space, taking into account the size of the family. In the European Union last year, 17.1% of families on average lived in overcrowded houses, which puts Belgium low in the list, alongside Cyprus, where 2.2% of the population does not have enough living space, and the Netherlands (3.5%). In Romania, by contrast, more than half of the households (52.3%) are considered overcrowded. Overcrowding is also an issue in Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and Croatia, with rates between 40-50%.

The Eurostat publication also confirms the overwhelming preference for a house over an apartment in Belgium, where 77.6% of the population reside in a one-family house, the third highest level in the EU (after the United Kingdom and Croatia). In Spain, Latvia, Lithuania and Greece, the majority of people live in apartments. Across the EU, 59.3% of people on average live in a house, compared to 40% in an apartment.

In more than seven out of 10 cases (72%), Belgians own their residence, slightly more than the EU average of 70.1%. In Germany and Austria, by comparistion, only slightly more than half are property owners.