In Norway home ownership is at 82%, because of politics that strongly encourages it. Mainly is low or no taxes on your primary residence, and no taxes in sale.
This has many positive benefits, but does lead to renting an apartment being a poverty trap.
Also, in the big cities home prices have risen a lot, partly because it is so economically advantageous to own vs renting. People are buying really small condos just so they do not have to rent.
So yes, in Norway it is a right of passage, like in the US. But it is often condos instead of houses.
As people have already mentioned, this is not true for other European countries.
Average home price in Oslo is about $700k