‘At first I hated the silence. But I’ve grown used to my own company’

We don’t go solo in Cyprus! On this island, we grow up in our parents’ home, head to uni (usually living with friends or in dorms), and move back into Hotel Mum on return. Where we tend to stay until we couple up.

There are lots of reasons for this. It’s cultural (family comes first). It’s practical (built-in babysitters, someone to make lunch). And frankly, it’s a great deal cheaper – especially when rising rents and stagnant wages make flying the nest feel like financial free-falling!

According to the Pew Research Centre, roughly 54 per cent of Cypriots aged 18 to 34 still live with their parents. That’s a lot fewer than in Greece (where 73 per cent remain in the family home). But it’s still more than in the UK (42 per cent), the US (33 per cent) and Germany (30 per cent). And a great deal higher than in Finland (18 per cent), Sweden (17 per cent) and Denmark (16 per cent).

In the EU, one in every three adults under 35 lives with their parents, so we’re well above the average. And, like the rest of Europe, the majority of the island’s younger homebirds are male: in Cyprus, 49 per cent of women remain in the parental home, compared with 60 per cent of men.

But, according to the data, change may be in the air…

For the first time, Cyprus is seeing single-person households on the rise! In the 2011 census, 63,000 people were solo living on this island. But the latest CySTAT census suggests that number has risen by over 20,000: now, 88,000 of us are living alone.

While considerably lower than the number of one-family households (238,000), it’s definitely on the up. And the latest stats also bear out the gender disparity: 7,000 more Cypriot women than men live by themselves.

Our average household size is also shrinking. In 1976, the island averaged four people per home (from a high of 4.2 in the Famagusta district, to a low of 3.7 in Paphos). By 1992, there were 3.2 people per household. And today, the island-wide average is just 2.6 – mum, dad, and roughly half a child!

Granted, there are other possible reasons for this beyond solo living: we’re definitely having fewer children than in the past! But the fact of the matter remains – on this social, family-oriented island, more of us are now living alone than ever before. And whether that’s driven by choice, circumstance or necessity, the shift is undeniable: Cyprus, while still on the lower end of the scale, is starting to embrace solo living.

“I moved out when I was in my early twenties,” says 28-year-old Limassolian Pavlos Zenonos. “Basically, as soon as I got a job.

“It wasn’t an easy decision. But I wanted my independence,” he explains. “I’d seen foreigners at university living alone quite happily, and I liked that idea.

“Also, my family isn’t rich – my mum is a hairdresser and my dad works in a shop. My sister’s studying in Scotland; my younger brother’s in the army; my grandmother needs medical stuff that isn’t on Gesy. So living by myself makes it easier for them.”

Pavlos adds that he has several friends from school whose parents bought them a flat outright.

“That happens a lot in Cyprus,” he says. “But not for me. My mum and dad gave me the rental deposit, but that was it. I don’t want to be another expense. I’d rather stand on my own two feet.”

Cyprus’ rising divorce rate may be another reason for an increase in solo living.

“I never expected to live alone,” says 56-year-old Maria Christofi, from Nicosia. “But after the kids left, my husband and I had nothing in common anymore. And so we got divorced.

Maria’s husband moved out; she remained in the family home.  

“I’m very grateful we had the money to do this – not everyone is so lucky. If we’d continued our marriage, I reckon we would have killed each other,” she jokes. “Instead, we’ve been able to remain on good terms. And now, I can do what I want, when I want for the first time in years!”

For many, living alone has been dictated by age.

“I never thought I’d end up by myself,” says 71-year-old John Demetriou, who repatriated from Melbourne. “My wife and I had our whole future mapped out: once the kids got married, we knew we’d return to Cyprus and buy our home by the sea.”

Sudden an aggressive cancer put an end to the plan.

“When my wife died, I decided to make the move alone,” says John. “I sold my business, took early retirement and bought a house near Paphos – a fresh start.”

John says it’s not easy being alone at his time of life. “I’m the older generation: I went from living with my parents to living with my wife. So the transition wasn’t easy. At first I hated the silence. But I’ve grown used to my own company; made a few friends.

“Sometimes,” he sighs, “I still think I hear her keys in the door. It makes me sad. But it is what it is.”

Cyprus’ ageing population is a key factor in the rise of solo living – by 2050, half of the island’s population will be over the age of 65. And over 85 per cent of older people in Cyprus now live in under-occupied dwellings (where there are more rooms than are needed), the second highest rate in Europe after Ireland.

Again, women over 65 are far more likely to live alone than men. But it’s not just about the elderly, the divorced or younger people trying independent living…

Expats and digital nomads, who rarely settle long-term, also add to the numbers. So do seasonal workers, relocating professionals and those in long-distance relationships.

And then there are those who simply prefer their own space – no compromises, no obligations, just the freedom to live life without yiayia looking over their shoulder!