Nearly 2.3 million young adults aged 25 to 35 in Argentina live still live with their parents or with a family member due to the lack of affordable housing, according to a private report.
The study, prepared by the Fundación Tejido Urbano in Córdoba, found that 38 percent of that age bracket of adults have no other alternatives as they are unable to get on the property ladder.
“This is, perhaps, one of the main challenges of access to housing, though regrettably it is a problem that has been lingering for at least two decades,” wrote the report’s authors.
According to the NGO in 2004, 35 percent of youths (nearly two million people) had been unable to leave the home of a relative or family member. The data was taken from the ENGHo National Household Expenditure Survey conducted by the INDEC national satistics bureau.
Between 2004 and 2012 (when the ENGHo was once again conducted), the number dropped to 1.7 million, which meant a reduction to 31 percent.
By 2016, however, 39.1 percent of young adults were still living at home and since then, the percentage has remained in or around that level.
As of 2023, the most recent data available, there were 2.3 million “unemancipated youths,” or 37 percent.
“The conclusion is that between 2 and 2.5 million youths aged 25 to 34 lived with their parents or grandparents. This high percentage suggests a future problem: there is a latent demand for housing that is not being satisfied,” the study added.
In the foundation’s interpretation, “this can be due to these young adults not having enough income to move or enough savings to cover the expenses related to independence.”
“In the medium term, this generates a negative effect on construction, which does not perceive this segment as a demanding potential, and thus, it does not build for them. This is a vicious cycle that prevents independence.” it added.
Indicating regional trends, the study highlighted that “in the provinces of northern Argentina, the difficulties for emancipation are stronger due to low-income levels.”
“By contrast, in Buenos Aires City, the percentage of unemancipated youths is very low, always one of the lowest in the country”, the Foundation added. This scenario can be explained by the higher income in the capital, despite the high rent and property prices.
In the meantime, the main educational cities in the country attract emancipated youths who make their homes there.
The report was published in the same week that UNICEF published damning data reporting that more than one million children in Argentina go to bed in the country each night without dinner.
The United Nations’ agency for children also said that a quarter of adolescents in Argentina now perform work tasks, while 12 percent of teenagers are currently looking for work to boost their household’s income.
– TIMES/NA
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