Almost 70 per cent of Cyprus’ population owned their home in 2023, according to data released by the EU’s statistical service Eurostat on Friday.

Specifically, 68.8 per cent owned their home, close to the EU average of 69.2 per cent.

Around 11 per cent of the EU population did not have the ability to keep the home adequately warm. The quality of housing was measured with issues such as a leaking roof, damp walls, floors or foundation, or rot in window frames or floors.

Cyprus recorded the highest share of these issues at 31.6 per cent– double the EU average at 15.5 per cent.

Nonetheless, Cyprus also had the highest share of under-occupied homes at 71.3 per cent. “The opposite of an overcrowded home is an under-occupied home, meaning that it is deemed too large for the needs of the household living in it,” Eurostat said.

The classic cause of under-occupation is older individuals or couples remaining in their home after their children have grown up and left.

In the EU in 2023, a third of the population (33.3 per cent) lived in an under-occupied home, a share which has been fairly stable since 2010.

In the same period, 31.2 per cent of Cypriots were living in rented housing, just over the EU average at 30.8 per cent.

Where sizing is concerned, there was an average of two rooms per person in Cyprus’ homes, while the average household was 2.6 persons.

Cyprus marked one of the lowest overcrowding rates at 2.2 per cent, a far cry from the EU average at 16.8 per cent.

The highest overcrowding rates were observed in Latvia (40.9 per cent), Romania (40 per cent) and Bulgaria (34.9 per cent).

Additionally, 14.6 per cent over the age of 16 were living in a dwelling whose energy efficiency had been improved in the last five years, Eurostat revealed.