More 25-34 Year-Olds Stay at Home Longer in Brazil

By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The stereotype of adult children living at home with their parents in Brazil is not likely to change any time soon, as new research shows the proportion of young adults aged 25 to 34 who still live at home increased from 21.2 percent in 2004 to 24.5 percent in 2013. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) researcher André Simões, financial and emotional issues are among the explanations for the phenomenon.

The proportion of the “kangaroo generation” is higher in the Southeast, where 26.8 percent of these people were still living with his parents in 2013. The lowest proportion is found in the North (19.8 percent).

However the IBGE survey also revealed that the proportion of people living alone increased from ten percent of total households in 2004 to 13.5 percent in 2013.

Families (defined with more than one person with kinship) now represent 86.2 percent of households in 2013, compared to 89.7 percent in 2004. Of the families, couples without children increased from 14.6 percent to 19.4 percent in the period, while single women with children also decreased from 18.4 percent of all households to 16.5 percent.

Also illustrated in another IBGE report is that statistic that about 25 percent of rents in Brazilian cities represent what is defined as excessive burden on families. One in four rental properties is costing thirty percent or more of the budget of tenants. According to the Summary of Social Indicators, by the IBGE, this is a burden deemed excessive by many national and international bodies. It now affects 5.2 percent of all urban households, while in 2004, this percentage was 4.4 percent.

Among families with household income per capita up to half the minimum wage (R$722.90 in 2014), 11.6 percent of urban households were occupied by families who pay excessive prices for their budget. This represents more than half (55 percent) of the total rent for this income range.

After years of massive increases, Rio de Janeiro rental prices registered a decrease of 0.9 percent in November in comparison to the previous month. This is the fourth month in a row, where rents have fallen on average in Rio de Janeiro and good news for the city’s middle and lower classes who have struggled with inflation and increasing prices in the city.

In 2014 overall, rents have increased 3.6 percent so far, a rate way below inflation. However, purchase prices increased by 7.1 percent.