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Australians can officially lay claim to living in the world’s biggest households.
According to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the typical size of a new Australian home is 215 square metres, up 10 per cent on the last decade.
New homes in other parts of the world are far smaller, with Denmark the biggest in Europe at 137 square metres and Britain the smallest at 76 square metres.
ABS data shows Sydney houses are by far the nation's biggest with new free-standing houses typically spanning 263 square metres - providing more than 100 square metres of indoor space per person.
Commonwealth securities economist Craig James said 20 years ago one in every six homes had four or more bedrooms. Today, it is one in every 3.5 homes.
''While the fast pace of population growth points to the need for more and more homes, we are living in the biggest homes in the world. The simple fact is they could be better utilised.''
Mr James was encouraged by a slight increase in the number of Australians living in each home. The average household size has crept up from 2.52 to 2.56 people in 2007-08.
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