LONDON | Speaking of deterioration of the real economy: in 2011, nearly 3 million adults aged between 20 and 34 were living with a parent or parents, an increase of almost half a million, or 20 per cent, since 1997. The Office for National Statistics pointed out that this is despite the number of people in the population aged 20 to 34 being largely the same in 1997 and 2011.
The percentage of young adults who were living with their parents in 2011 varies across the UK,
from 19.7 per cent in London to 35.3 per cent in Northern Ireland. London has the lowest percentage of young adults who were living in their parental home.
London has a large influx of young adults from other areas of the UK and from abroad due to increased employment and study opportunities. Sharing a household with friends or housemates is more common among young adults and migrants than older adults as a way of reducing the cost of housing. In 2011 in London 6.8 per cent of households consisted of two or more people who were unrelated, more than double the national average of 3.2 per cent. The average age of people living in such households in the UK was 25.
