Overcrowding in Catalunya rises by 69% and affects 13.1%

The rate rises to 20.3% among young people aged 16 to 29 and reaches 24.4% among those living below the poverty line.

In 2025, only 18.6% of young people under 30 in Catalunya had moved out of their family home, according to the Observatorio de Emancipación Juvenil based on the INE’s labour force survey. This figure is accompanied by another indicator of the difficulties in accessing housing: overcrowding has increased by 69% in the last decade.

A report by the CGT estimates that it affects 13.1% of the Catalan population. It is the second highest rate in the country, behind Islas Canarias, with 16.3%. The Spanish average stands at 9.5%.

The highest rate among young people and people in poverty

Among those aged 16 to 29, overcrowding affects 20.3% of the population in Catalunya. The proportion rises to 24.4% among people living below the poverty line.

Across Spain, the rates are 16% among young people and 17.9% among those below that threshold, according to calculations based on microdata from the INE’s survey on living conditions. There are also differences by nationality: 19.3% of foreign adults live in overcrowded conditions, compared to 6.7% of Spanish nationals.

In everyday terms, the report estimates that the situation affects one in eight people in Catalunya, one in five young people aged 16 to 29, and one in four people in poverty.

Market-rate rentals have the highest rate

The situation varies depending on the type of tenure. Overcrowding affects 20.5% of those renting at market rates and 13.3% of those paying below-market rent or living in a home provided to them.

Among homeowners, the rate is 7.8% for those paying a mortgage and 5.6% for those who no longer have to pay one.

Measures demanded by the CGT

The union calls for the decommodification of the housing market and for ensuring that everyone can access a decent home. It also calls for a general reduction in rents and for reclaiming homes held by vulture funds and large speculators to expand the public housing stock.

The CGT links this situation to wages: it demands wage increases and the inclusion of guarantee clauses in all agreements so that they are automatically updated with the IPC and prevent loss of purchasing power. In another area of social services, Barcelona ranked among the top five municipalities in the DEC Local index, which analyses more than 30 indicators in municipalities with over 20,000 inhabitants, according to this municipal analysis.

For the union, rising housing costs reduce purchasing power and force workers to cut back on spending and give up quality of life.