Almost half of Australians aged between 18 and 29 are living with their parents, according to new findings from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, as rising housing costs leave more young adults unable to move out.
The proportion living in the family home reached 49.9 per cent in 2024, up from 39.4 per cent in 2001. Young men were more likely to remain with their parents than young women, at 55 per cent compared with 45 per cent.
The gender gap has narrowed over the same period. In 2001, men were 11.9 percentage points more likely than women to live with their parents; by 2024, the difference had fallen to 9.6 points.
Dr Kyle Peyton, a co-author of the report from the University of Melbourne, said the cost of housing was a major factor keeping young adults in the family home.
“It’s more difficult than it’s ever been in Australia for young people to get out of their parents’ house and find a place to live and start a family,” he said.
Trade journalist Ethan Benedicto, 24, lives with his parents and his 18-year-old brother in Clyde North, south-east of Melbourne. He has never lived away from home but said remaining with his family allowed him to save more than 60 per cent of his fortnightly pay.
“Everything is just expensive in general. Rent’s expensive … but I save over 60 per cent of my fortnightly pay,” he said.
Mr Benedicto said living with family was also common among many of his South-East Asian and Middle Eastern friends. He hopes to have a home with his partner by the time he is between 27 and 30, while recognising that his parents may eventually want their own space.
In Sydney, 24-year-old Oliver Mason lives with his parents in Picnic Point and works part-time in an op shop. He said he felt little pressure to leave because housing was difficult to access and many of his friends were also living at home.
“I think there’s a bit of complacency and apathy that’s bred out of the fact that the housing market is hard to access,” he said.
Mr Mason said he would be most likely to move out if he entered a relationship and wanted a home of his own.
Young renters report poor conditions
Those who do leave the family home are often moving into accommodation they are less satisfied with. One in five young people living away from their parents said their accommodation offered inadequate comfort, compared with one in 25 of those living at home.
Dr Peyton said some young people were weighing the prospect of moving into poor-quality rented accommodation against remaining with their parents to save for a deposit.
“For a lot of young people they’re asking ‘am I going to go live in what may be a mould-infested rental property or do I just stay with my parents until I’m in my late 20s to try to save up for a deposit and try to buy something?’” he said.
The HILDA survey also found that housing stress among lower-income households had reached a record high in 2024. More than 30 per cent of disposable income was spent on housing by 36 per cent of private renters and 30 per cent of mortgage holders in the bottom 40 per cent of earners in mainland capital cities.
Renters, single parents and older single people recorded the highest rates of housing stress. Nearly 8 per cent of those surveyed said they had been unable to pay their rent or mortgage on time, the highest proportion since 2003.
Professor Roger Wilkins, an economics professor at Melbourne University, said measures of financial and housing stress were worsening despite high employment.
“We’re working more than ever, yet the cost of living is outpacing growth in incomes,” he said, warning that economic wellbeing could deteriorate further if the labour market weakened.
The survey, which has followed the same 9,000 households since 2001, also found that people across all age groups were reporting less energy and greater fatigue. The sharpest decline in vitality was recorded among women aged 25 to 34, alongside a sustained fall in self-reported mental health among younger Australians, particularly young women.
