A new European study has revealed how Maltese men left their parents’ homes, on average, after the age of 30 during 2021.

This is an older age than the European average for men across all countries, which stands at 27.4 years.

When it comes to Maltese women, the study revealed that on average they left at 29 during 2021. This is still higher than the European average, which stands at 25.5 years.

Apart from Malta there were also a total of 10 other countries with men leaving their parental home on average after the age of 30 which are: Croatia, Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Greece, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, Romania and Poland.

There were only two other countries where women left their parental home on average after the age of 30; these are Portugal and Croatia.

In 2021, the gender gap in the average age of leaving the parental home was 1.9 years at EU level, whilst the largest age gap was present in Romania (4.7 years), Bulgaria (3.5 years), Croatia (3.1 years) and Serbia (5.0 years).

Focusing on men, studies showed how in 2006, the average age for men to move out of their parental home stood at 28.0 years. From that year on it was on the decline where it reached its lowest point in 2019 at 27.1 years.

The most noticeable change with the Covid-19 pandemic as it moved up by 0.3 years between 2019 and 2020, as men might have reconsidered staying longer at their parental homes.

Between 2020 and 2021 the average age for young men to leave their homes remained stable.

Young people's involvement rates in the labour force, also known as "activity rates," are more likely to be lower in nations where young people leave the parental home at a later age (aged 15-29).

For instance, the labour force participation rate for those between the ages of 15 and 29 is often lower, at around or below 50%, in nations where young people leave their parental homes at an age older than 29.