The Ghost of Communal Apartments: Latvia Leads the EU in the Number of Citizens Living in Overcrowded Apartments 0 14

In Latvia, the number of housing transactions increased by approximately 20% over the first nine months of this year, reported the real estate company Latio. The company notes that the housing market has become more active this year, and buyers are making decisions more quickly.

Latio explains that part of the statistics is formed by transactions that were postponed from previous periods and completed only this year. After another decline in the EURIBOR rate in the spring, which served as a signal to society that the peak of inflation had passed, the time required to sell housing is gradually decreasing.

Analyzing housing market trends over the year, Latio experts noted that while the number of single-person households in the country is significantly increasing, Latvia is simultaneously the leader in the European Union (EU) in the share of residents forced to live in overcrowded housing.

Data from the Latio Housing Buyer Confidence Index shows that in December, it took an average of 47 days to sell housing at market price. Since April of this year, when this figure was 58 days, it has decreased every month.

Among buyers, one- and two-room apartments are increasingly in demand, which is explained not only by financial considerations but also by the structure of households. According to OECD estimates, more and more residents of Latvia are choosing or are forced to live alone. Over the past decade, the number of such single-person households has increased by an average of five percentage points across all age groups.

At the same time, Latvia is the leader in the EU in the share of residents forced to live in overcrowded housing, surpassing not only the EU average (17%) but also Lithuania and Estonia. Overcrowded housing is understood as conditions where the living space per person is insufficient, negatively impacting overall quality of life. This problem is particularly acute for large families and residents of regions where the supply of new housing is limited.

In Latvia, nearly 41% of the population lives under such conditions. Although this figure has decreased since 2010, it remains the highest among the Baltic states.