ESG Economist - Understanding European Social Housing Through a Comparative Lens
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to housing, regardless of their employment status, health, or other conditions. In this note we dive deeper into the structures of social housing in four European countries: the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany and France.
There is no standardized definition of social housing across Europe
Because of that, its implementation varies, serving different groups in different countries
In this note, we dive deeper into the structures of social housing in four European countries: the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany and France
The Netherlands has the largest share of social housing over total housing stock in Europe. It targets low-income households, as well as elderly and disabled people
In the UK, the share of social housing is lower, but still represents 16% of total housing stock
In Germany, the share of social housing is one of the lowest across Europe, representing solely 3% of the housing stock
One of the reasons for that regards the lack of nationwide policies to develop and promote the growth of social housing projects
Finally, in France, 18% of the housing stock is social housing. The system also targets low-income families