Urbanization in a European Context

The dream of owning a house with a private garden right outside the front door is increasingly becoming a luxury in Europe. On average across the EU, just over half of the population lives in a house; in Germany, the figure is only 38.5%, while in Ireland it is as high as 90%. Since 2010, the proportion of people living in houses in Germany has fallen by 6.5 percentage points, marking the fifth-largest decline in Europe. If this trend continues and apartments become the dominant form of housing in the 2030s, the floor plan—balcony, terrace, or nothing at all—will increasingly determine who can afford a small green oasis.