This publication is part of a series of results from Census 2022. More thematic publications will be published throughout 2023 as outlined in the Census 2022 Publication Schedule.
For census purposes, an adult living with their parents is defined as a person aged 18 years or over who usually lived with their parents at the time of the census, meaning they were either a son or a daughter of the head of the household. The relationship questions on the census form captured links between household members for private dwellings only.
In 2022, there were 522,486 adults aged 18 years and over who were living with their parents.
This was a 14% increase (+63,612) compared with 2016 and a 19% increase since 2011 (+83,008).
This accounted for 13% of the adult population (aged 18 years and over), the same proportion as in 2011 and 2016.
In 2022, 81% of all 18 and 19 year olds lived in the same household as their parents, up from 78% in 2011 and 80% in 2016.
Over 61% of 20 to 24 year olds lived with their parents in 2022, an increase from 54% in 2011 and 59% in 2016.
Broadening the age group, 22% of 18 to 50 year olds lived with their parents in 2022 whereas only 19% in this age group lived with their parents in 2011 and 20% in 2016.
While the proportion of adults aged 18 years and over living with their parents has remained stable across the last three censuses, there have been proportional changes across certain age groups.
Almost one-quarter (23%) of all 25 to 34 year olds lived in the same household as their parents in 2022.
In 2011, just 17% of this same age group lived with their parents.
The largest percentage increase was among adults aged 50 years and older living with their parents; this increased by 26% (+3,796) since 2016 and by 56% (+6,730) since 2011.
In 2022, 24 was the youngest age at which the majority of people were not living with their parents. This was up from 23 in 2011.
At the age of 28, 28% of people were living with their parents.
At 30 years of age, only 20% of people were living with their parents. Notably, however, in 2011, only 13% of people aged 30 lived with their parents.
There were 5,954 (21%) more 40 to 49 year olds than 35 to 39 year olds living with their parents in 2022.
In 2022, nearly 25,000 adults living with their parents were unpaid carers. This represented 5% of all people aged 18 years and over living with their parents. This was a 50% increase compared with Census 2016.
Over two-fifths of all adult unpaid carers living with their parents were aged over 40 years.
The proportion of adults living with their parents who were unpaid carers rose with age.
In all three most recent censuses, there were more adult males than females living with their parents.
In 2022, 57% of adults living with their parents were male, down from 59% in both 2011 and 2016.
There were proportionally more adult males living with their parents particularly among the older age groups.
Over half of all adults living with their parents were working (54% of males and 50% of females).
More females living with their parents were students, 37%, compared with 27% of males.
Approximately 4% of all females living with their parents were unemployed having lost or given up their previous job; the proportion among all males was higher at 8%.
Among the adults living with their parents who were unemployed having lost or given up their previous job, 46% were in short-term unemployment and 54% were in long-term unemployment.
These proportions varied slightly by sex, with 57% of males and 48% of females being long-term unemployed.
| Number of people | |
| At work | 162559 |
| Long-term unemployed | 13069 |
| Other | 31042 |
| Student | 82001 |
| Short-term unemployed | 9889 |
| Number of people | |
| At work | 112186 |
| Long-term unemployed | 4529 |
| Other | 18666 |
| Student | 83587 |
| Short-term unemployed | 4958 |
The LEA with the lowest proportion of adults living with their parents was North Inner City, Dublin City at 5% (3,025) of adults.
At the other end of the scale, Palmerstown-Fonthill, South Dublin had the highest percentage with one in every five adults living with their parents (3,380 persons).
In numerical terms, the LEA with the largest number of adults living with their parents was Ballymun-Finglas, Dublin City (7,116 persons, 16% of adults).
Of all LEAs, Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim had the lowest number of adults living with their parents with 1,001 persons; this accounted for just over one in 10 adults.
Of the four Dublin administrative counties, South Dublin had the highest proportion of adults living with their parents (16%) while Dublin City had the lowest (10%).
At State level, Galway City had the lowest proportion of adults living with their parents at 9%.
Among all adults living with their parents who lived at a different address one year previous to Census 2022, 71% were under 30 years of age.
Another 8% were aged over 40 years.
Similar to Census 2016, 61% of all adults living with their parents were living with a married couple.
A further 21% were living in a one-parent mother household.
This was followed by 5% living with a married couple with children and other persons.
Older adults living with their parents were more likely to be living in a one-parent household.
Explore census data from county level to neighbourhood (Small Area) level
