(Australian Associated Press)

Parents hoping for a bit of space once their children hit adulthood be warned – Australia’s proportion of kidults is rising.

According to data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies, 43 per cent of 20- to 24-year-olds were living in the family home in 2016, compared with 36 per cent in 1981.

For 25- to 29-year-olds, the number still living at home jumped from 10 per cent in 1981 to 17 per cent in 2016.

“Overall, young people living in capital cities were more likely than those living in regional areas to remain at home,” Institute director Anne Hollonds said on Tuesday.

“A range of factors, including the cost of housing in capital cities and time spent in higher education, have contributed to a growing trend for more young people to delay moving out in recent decades.”

Fewer young adults in regional areas were staying home compared with their city counterparts, the research found.

Men were more likely to be living at home overall but the proportion of young women staying at home is rising at a faster rate.

Researchers believe one of the factors is young women aren’t leaving to get married as young as they once were.

They also found cultural factors tended to influence when a young person flies the nest.

“Among young adults born in Australia, those with Asian, Middle Eastern, African or Southern and Eastern European ancestry are more likely to live with their parents, compared to those with Australian, Northwestern European or New Zealand backgrounds,” researcher Lixia Qu said.

People born overseas were not as likely to be living at home but researchers believe that’s likely due to an increase in the number of international students.