Young Belgians fly the nest around age 25

Young women leave home on average two years earlier than men, according to figures from the European statistical office Eurostat. In Belgium, that occurs around the age of 24 on average, while men tend to wait until they are 26 years old.

The average age for leaving the family home in the European Union was 26.1 years in 2013, however there are significant differences between the member states. Young people tend to leave the nest the fastest in the three Scandinavian countries, around 19.6 years in Sweden, 21.0 years in Denmark and 21.9 years in Finland. At the other end of the spectrum is Croatia, where most young people continue to live at home until they are 31.9 years of age, followed by Slovakia (30.7 years), Malta (30.1 years) and Italy (29.9 years).

Belgium falls in the middle, with young people living at home for 24.9 years on average.