Sirpa Pietikäinen· PPE

Nuanced

In many countries, housing costs take up to 40% of household income

Omissions

• The claim omits that while some households do spend 40% or more, this affects only 8.2% of the EU population, not the general situation in 'many countries'
• The EU average housing cost burden is 19%, significantly lower than the 40% figure cited
• Only one country (Greece) approaches 40% at the national average level (36%)
• The data used is from 2024, published in 2025, which postdates the speech date of March 2026 (though the data period is appropriate)

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat - Housing in Europe 2025 editionEU households spent on average 19% of disposable income on housing (2024). Greece had the highest share at 36%.
• PrimaryEurostat - Housing cost overburden rate dataHighest housing cost overburden rates in cities: Greece (31.0%) and Denmark (23.3%) in 2024.
• SecondaryEurostat - EU_Eurostat X/Twitter postIn 2024, 8.2% of people in the EU lived in households spending 40% or more of their disposable income on housing. Highest in Greece (28.9%), Denmark (14.6%), Germany (12.0%).