OECD: 70% of Greek youth worry about housing, wages lag EU peers

Young people in Greece are struggling to gain financial and personal independence, a recent OECD study reveals. Despite the country's economic growth surpassing the Eurozone average, significant challenges persist for those aged 15-29.

While the youth employment rate has risen from 26% in 2013 to 36% in 2025, and unemployment has fallen from a high of 48.7% to 16.5%, these figures still lag considerably behind OECD and EU averages. Greece ranks second lowest in youth employment within the OECD, just above Italy. The youth unemployment rate, at 16.5% in 2025, remains the third highest among OECD countries, significantly exceeding the OECD average of 8.9% and the EU average of 11.7%.

The situation is particularly stark for young graduates. In Greece, 12.3% of those aged 25-34 with a university degree were unemployed in 2024, the highest rate among OECD countries and 2.4 times the OECD average for this group. Furthermore, young workers under 30 in Greece earn, on average, 40% less than their counterparts in other European OECD nations, even when adjusting for purchasing power parity. This wage disparity is a broader issue, with overall average earnings in Greece being 45% lower than in other European OECD countries.

Housing is another major hurdle for Greek youth. Approximately 70% of 18-24 year olds expressed concern about securing adequate housing in the coming year, a rate that places Greece fifth highest in the OECD and well above the average. Leaving the parental home and purchasing a first home remain difficult aspirations. Greece has one of the highest percentages of young adults aged 20-29 living with their parents (74%), surpassed only by South Korea, Italy, Spain, and Slovakia. The average age at which young Greeks leave their parental home is 30.9 years, considerably higher than the EU-OECD average of 26.2 years.