House prices in Portugal up 164% since 2015
The steepest housing inflation in Western Europe. A median Lisbon dwelling now costs 13.9 years of gross household income; Copenhagen requires 6.2.
★ OVERALL INDEX · 30 COUNTRIES · UPDATED JUNE 2026
Tracking economic reality across Europe
Objective data. Transparent methodology. Comparing affordability, income and opportunity across European countries, with sources you can check and figures you will wish were wrong.
Europoor Score (overall index)EU-27
58.7/ 100
▲ +4.1 vs prior year · population-weighted
Contributors (index weights)
Housing Affordability30%
Disposable Income20%
Home Ownership (15–29)15%
Youth Unemployment15%
Tax Burden12%
Energy Costs8%
Methodology →ESO/26-014
Table 1 · Composite ranking, all covered countries
Most Europoor Countries
Reference period 2024–2025 · higher = more europoor
| Rank | Country | Score | Housing | Youth U. | Assessment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 |  United Kingdomnon-EU | 94.0 | 100 | 16.2% | Very Poor | |
| 02 |  Portugal | 93.2 | 81 | 19.5% | Very Poor | |
| 03 |  Greece | 79.6 | 33 | 19.1% | Poor | |
| 04 |  Sweden | 74.5 | 34 | 24.3% | Poor | |
| 05 |  France | 71.7 | 32 | 19.8% | Poor | |
| 06 |  Romania | 68.2 | 27 | 26.1% | Poor | |
| 07 |  Denmark | 68.2 | 34 | 13.8% | Poor | |
| 08 |  Czechia | 67.3 | 53 | 10.4% | Moderate | |
| 09 |  Spain | 65.2 | 35 | 24.9% | Moderate | |
| 10 |  Hungary | 64.6 | 57 | 13.9% | Moderate | |
| 11 |  Finland | 62.4 | 14 | 21.8% | Moderate | |
| 12 |  Slovakia | 62.2 | 55 | 15.3% | Moderate | |
| 13 |  Estonia | 60.2 | 20 | 20.7% | Moderate | |
| 14 |  Switzerlandnon-EU | 58.5 | 73 | 8.8% | Moderate | |
| 15 |  Italy | 56.3 | 20 | 20.6% | Moderate | |
| 16 |  Germany | 49.4 | 20 | 7.1% | Adequate | |
| 17 |  Poland | 46.5 | 33 | 12.2% | Adequate | |
| 18 |  Netherlands | 46.0 | 50 | 8.8% | Adequate | |
| 19 |  Lithuania | 45.9 | 27 | 14.1% | Adequate | |
| 20 |  Croatia | 45.4 | 27 | 18.3% | Adequate | |
| 21 |  Ireland | 45.0 | 55 | 11.8% | Adequate | |
| 22 |  Belgium | 44.8 | 7 | 17.4% | Adequate | |
| 23 |  Slovenia | 44.6 | 32 | 12.1% | Adequate | |
| 24 |  Luxembourg | 42.0 | 29 | 21.6% | Adequate | |
| 25 |  Bulgaria | 39.3 | 20 | 13.1% | Comparatively Solvent | |
| 26 |  Latvia | 37.7 | 3 | 14.8% | Comparatively Solvent | |
| 27 |  Austria | 33.5 | 11 | 11.5% | Comparatively Solvent | |
| 28 |  Norwaynon-EU | 29.0 | 22 | 14.0% | Comparatively Solvent | |
| 29 |  Cyprus | 28.0 | 0 | 13.5% | Comparatively Solvent | |
| 30 |  Malta | 28.0 | 30 | 9.6% | Comparatively Solvent |
Composite of Eurostat, OECD and Numbeo indicators; see Methodology. Housing = housing-affordability subscore (0–100).
Europoor Score over time · EU-272015–2025
Use left and right arrow keys to read values by year.
Eurostat prc_hpi_a, prc_hicp_aind (CP041), une_rt_a. Historical index reconstructed from EU-27 aggregate series; see Methodology.
Change since 2015
▲ +19.7 pts
Direction of travel
Steadily worse
Table 2 · Key indicators, EU-27 population-weighted average
Key Indicators (Europe Average)
Marker = EU average · range = min–max across EU-27
Rent (1-bed, city centre)
€1,246
Numbeo, capital city, 2026
Years of income to buy a home
9.0
Numbeo price-to-income, 2026
Disposable income (PPS, median)
€22,640
Eurostat ilc_di03, 2025
Owner-occupied housing (15–29)
61.3%
OECD AHD HM1.3, 2024
Youth unemployment (15–24)
16.4%
Eurostat une_rt_a, 2025
Tax burden (total, % of GDP)
39.9%
Eurostat gov_10a_taxag, 2024
Population-weighted EU-27 averages. Ranges show the least and most affected member state for each indicator. Figures for non-EU countries (UK, NO, CH) are included in country views but excluded from EU aggregates.
Country file · ESO/26-014/ES
Country Detail
Country file loaded: Spain, rank 9 of 30
Spain
Southern Europe · Rank 09 of 30
Europoor Score
65.2 / 100
Housing Affordability
34.7 / 100
Disposable Income
59.4 / 100
Home Ownership (15–29)
35.6 / 100
Youth Unemployment
93.7 / 100
Tax Burden
65.1 / 100
Energy Costs
38.4 / 100
Subscores normalised 0–100 across covered countries; higher = more europoor. Weights as published in Methodology.
House Price Index · Spain2015 = 100
Use left and right arrow keys to read values by year.
Eurostat prc_hpi_a. Deflated series available in the Eurostat data browser.
Key factsES
| Rent (1-bed, city centre) | €1,364 |
|---|---|
| Years of income to buy a home | 8.5 |
| Disposable income (PPS, median) | €22,408 |
| Owner-occupied housing (15–29) | 71.5% |
| Youth unemployment (15–24) | 24.9% |
| Tax burden (total, % of GDP) | 37.3% |
| Electricity (€/kWh, household) | €0.27 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | €34,210 |
| Population | 49.1M |
Eurostat, OECD, Numbeo. Latest available (2023–2025).
Assessment
Spain ranks 09 of 30 covered countries. A typical resident commits 8.5 years of household income to purchase a home and 73% of disposable income to rent one. The Office offers no further comment.
Rent: Madrid.
Table 3 · Bilateral comparison · lose the argument with receipts
Compare
VS
SpainVS NetherlandsDifferences signed toward ES| Indicator | Spain | Netherlands | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europoor Score (overall) | 65.2 | 46.0 | +19.2 ▲ | |
| Rent (1-bed, city centre) | €1,364 | €2,317 | −€953 ▼ | |
| Years of income to buy a home | 8.5 | 7.5 | +1.0 ▲ | |
| Disposable income (PPS, median) | €22,408 | €29,714 | −€7,306 ▲ | |
| Owner-occupied housing (15–29) | 71.5% | 58.4% | +13.1pp ▼ | |
| Youth unemployment (15–24) | 24.9% | 8.8% | +16.1pp ▲ | |
| Tax burden (total, % of GDP) | 37.3% | 39.4% | −2.1pp ▼ | |
| Electricity (€/kWh, household) | €0.27 | €0.26 | +€0.01 ▲ | |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | €34,210 | €65,210 | −€31,000 ▲ |
Eurostat, OECD, Numbeo; latest available. ▲ = Spain worse off, ▼ = Spain better off. The Office extends its sympathies to Spain.
Annex B · Press Monitoring
Press Monitoring
Archived Monitoring Edition
COMPILED JUNE 2026 · LIVE RETRIEVAL UNAVAILABLE
9 ITEMS · ARCHIVED
The Office does not generate news. It monitors external reporting and enters items that bear on the European condition into the public record. Inclusion indicates that a development is consistent with the indicators published on this site; it does not indicate endorsement of the reporting, nor surprise at its content.
Live wire retrieval unavailable. The records below are the last compiled monitoring edition and may not reflect current headlines.
- 2026-04-3016:45 UTCFISCALEurope's tax divide: Why Germany and France tax labour far more than the UKESO note Consistent with the fiscal subscore. France (45.3%) and Belgium (45.1%) lead the OECD area in taxes and net social contributions as a share of GDP. · ESO/DG-DECLINE/MON-31
- 2026-04-1109:20 UTCHOUSINGHouse prices across Europe: Which countries saw the highest rises in 2025?ESO note Consistent with the housing-affordability subscore: a median Lisbon dwelling now costs 13.9 years of gross household income, the highest ratio in Western Europe. · ESO/DG-DECLINE/MON-29For reference (United States, comparable basis): national median house-price-to-income multiple ≈ 4.8 years.
- 2026-03-3108:15 UTCREAL WAGESReal wages in Europe near pre-pandemic levels, but Iran crisis clouds outlookESO note The Office notes that “near pre-pandemic levels” is recorded as having not yet exceeded them. · ESO/DG-DECLINE/MON-26
- 2026-01-2911:05 UTCMIGRATIONThe AI brain drain: Why Europe can't keep the talent it trainsESO note The Office does not measure departures directly. It notes only that the destinations cited are not within the covered area. · ESO/DG-DECLINE/MON-24
- 2026-01-2107:55 UTCHOUSINGHousing crisis: Who's most affected by Europe's lack of affordable housing?ESO note Recorded under housing. Only 34% of those aged 15–29 in Germany live in owner-occupied housing; in much of the east the figure exceeds 85%, largely by remaining in it. · ESO/DG-DECLINE/MON-22
- 2025-12-1710:30 UTCEU–US GAPGDP growth forecasts: Which European economies will have the highest growth?ESO note Filed for monitoring. The Office presents the United States not as a rival but as the unit of account. · ESO/DG-DECLINE/MON-18
- 2025-11-1314:25 UTCENERGY POVERTYElectricity and gas prices across Europe: Which countries are the most expensive?ESO note The standardised household electricity bill remains the largest single line item in the energy subscore; Germany records €0.387/kWh, all taxes included. · ESO/DG-DECLINE/MON-15For reference (United States, comparable basis): average residential electricity ≈ €0.16/kWh.
- 2025-08-1412:00 UTCCOST OF LIVINGFive years on, Europe's cost-of-living crisis shows no signs of easingESO note Recorded under consumption. The Office observes that five years is, by now, a reference period rather than an interruption. · ESO/DG-DECLINE/MON-11
- 2025-07-2408:40 UTCENERGY POVERTYEnergy, water, and waste: How much do Europeans pay for household bills?ESO note Filed without comment, the figures being consistent with our own. · ESO/DG-DECLINE/MON-09
Retrieved via the GDELT Project and public RSS/Atom feeds; headlines reproduced for monitoring purposes and © their respective publishers. Classifications and notes are the Office’s own. The headlines are real; we did not need to write any of them.
Bulletin · Notes from the Directorate
Recent Insights
Younger generations priced out across the west
Only 34% of people aged 15–29 in Germany (and 37% in Switzerland) live in owner-occupied housing. In the east the figure exceeds 85%, largely by remaining in it.
Youth unemployment exceeds 20% in seven countries
Romania (26.1%), Spain (24.9%), Sweden (24.3%), Finland (21.8%), Luxembourg (21.6%), Estonia (20.7%) and Italy (20.6%) all report more than one in five young people out of work.
Tax burden holds at record levels across the Union
Denmark (45.8%), France (45.3%) and Belgium (45.1%) lead the OECD area in taxes and social contributions as a share of GDP.
Annex A · Notes on compilation
Methodology & Sources
The Europoor Score is a composite index. Each indicator is min–max normalised to 0–100 across the 30 covered countries, with direction adjusted so that a higher value always indicates a population that is, in the technical sense, more europoor. Subscores are combined using the fixed weights opposite and rebased to a 28–94 scale. Population-weighted aggregation is used for EU-27 figures.
The housing-affordability subscore combines the house price-to-income ratio (55%) with the ratio of annualised city-centre rent to median disposable income in PPS (45%). The energy subscore expresses a standardised 3,500 kWh annual household bill as a share of median disposable income.
The historical EU-27 series is reconstructed from Eurostat aggregate series (house prices, actual rentals, youth unemployment) and anchored to the current score. It is an estimate; the direction of travel is not.
Retrieval. Eurostat-sourced indicators (disposable income, youth unemployment, tax burden, electricity prices, GDP, population, house price and rental indices) are retrieved from the Eurostat dissemination API and refreshed at least every six hours; the index is recomputed on each retrieval. Numbeo-derived indicators (rent, price-to-income) and the OECD ownership measure are compiled editions, updated with each reference release. The retrieval timestamp is published in the page footer.
Caveats. The young-ownership measure (OECD, ages 15–29) counts residence in any owner-occupied dwelling, including those owned by other household members, typically parents. The Office declines to classify this arrangement as a housing strategy. UK disposable income in PPS is an ESO estimate, as Eurostat ceased UK publication after 2018; UK tax data is OECD 2023. Estimates are flagged in the relevant country files.
The Office acknowledges that reality requires no exaggeration and confirms that none has been applied.
| Subscore | Weight |
|---|---|
| Housing Affordability | 30% |
| Disposable Income | 20% |
| Home Ownership (15–29) | 15% |
| Youth Unemployment | 15% |
| Tax Burden | 12% |
| Energy Costs | 8% |
| Indicator | Source |
|---|---|
| Rent (1-bed, city centre) | Numbeo · Cost of Living, capital/largest city, June 2026 |
| House price-to-income ratio | Numbeo · Property Prices Index, 2026 |
| Disposable income (PPS) | Eurostat · ilc_di03: median equivalised net disposable income, survey 2025 |
| Young adults in owner-occupied housing | OECD · Affordable Housing Database HM1.3 (EU-SILC), age 15–29, 2024 |
| Youth unemployment (15–24) | Eurostat / ONS · une_rt_a, 2025 annual; UK: ONS 16–24, Oct–Dec 2025 |
| Tax burden (% of GDP) | Eurostat / OECD · gov_10a_taxag: taxes and net social contributions, 2024 |
| Electricity (EUR/kWh) | Eurostat · nrg_pc_204: household band DC, all taxes included, 2025-S2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | Eurostat / ONS · nama_10_pc, 2025; UK converted from GBP (estimate) |
| House Price Index | Eurostat / ECB · prc_hpi_a, 2015 = 100; Greece: Bank of Greece via ECB |