"In 2023, the number of housing transactions decreased in 13 out of the 16 EU countries for which data are available, compared with 2022. This marks the second consecutive year that the majority of reporting countries have registered drops in sales. The largest decreases in the number of transactions in 2023 were recorded in Luxembourg (-43.3%), Austria (-26.4%), Hungary and Finland (each -24.5%)," the office said in a statement.
However, in Cyprus, Poland and Ireland, the number of house purchase transactions increased by 31%, 3.9% and 0.6%, Eurostat added.
In 2022, 10 reporting countries registered a decrease in house sales, with the largest drop of 24.8% reported in Denmark. In the next year, the transactions went up in 14 out of 16 countries. Eurostat explains it with describes a significant decrease in sales which occurred in 2020 and was allegedly caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.