Stuffed wardrobes: Which European countries are drowning in household clutter?

Minimalism has not yet won - at least, not everywhere.

A new study by storage specialists has revealed which European homes are likely to be the most cluttered, analysing the money spent on items that take up the most space.

Sweden takes the top spot with a 98.65 Clutter Score. That is largely driven by high spending on furniture (5.5%) and clothing.

Second-placed Netherlands devotes the highest share to clutter-related items (17.2%), particularly furniture(6.5%) and recreational goods (1.1%).

Third- and fourth-placed Germany and Austria are obsessed with furniture and household maintenance, with spending scores of 6.4% and 5%, respectively.

On the other hand, fifth-placed Italy allocates the most of its household clutter budget to clothing and footwear (5.2%).

Clothing is indeed a key driver of clutter, but tech also plays a role. IT equipment emerged as a significant contributor, particularly in Latvia (1.8%) and Lithuania (1.7%). 

Meanwhile, garden and pet products add to the mess in Sweden, Slovenia (both 1.6%) and Germany (1.5%).

Furthermore, recreational "durables" and other personal effects stood out in countries like Bulgaria and Austria, suggesting that "bulky hobby equipment and miscellaneous items are also taking up valuable space in many households", says BOXIE24.

The authors of the study say nearly 40% of Europeans are unaware of the existence of self-storage spaces.

According to the latest Federation of European Self Storage (FEDESSA) Self Storage Industry Report, there are some 9,600 self-storage facilities across the continent, totalling over 16 million square metres of space.