Insee Focus · October 2025 · n° 365

Multigenerational cohabitation in the French overseas departments: more women and overcrowded housing

In 2022, “complex” households were more common in the French overseas departments than in mainland France, particularly those that included a family unit along with at least one ascendant or descendant. These multigenerational households represented up to 5% of households in some overseas departments, compared with 1% in mainland France.

They were characterized by more frequent overcrowding and lower employment rates. Women were over‑represented in these households.

In the five overseas departments, between 56% and 77% of multigenerational households included at least one single­‑parent family, whose living conditions were even more difficult. The proportion of multigenerational households had dropped since 1990 in the Antilles, La Réunion, and in mainland France, but had remained stable in French Guiana.