Global Study: 3 in 4 Cut Basic Needs to Afford Housing Costs
A Habitat for Humanity report finds millions worldwide sacrificing food and healthcare to pay for housing across 22 countries.
A sweeping new global study from Habitat for Humanity International reveals that three out of four people worldwide are making painful financial trade-offs — cutting spending on food, medical care, and long-term savings — simply to keep up with housing costs. The report, titled "Home at What Cost?," was released Tuesday and draws on nationally representative surveys of 30,000 respondents across 22 countries.
The findings paint a stark picture of how pervasive housing unaffordability has become as a shared global condition rather than a problem confined to any single region or income bracket. Respondents across the survey pool reported forgoing essential expenditures and abandoning major life plans in order to meet monthly housing obligations, suggesting the burden extends well beyond rent or mortgage payments alone.
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Habitat for Humanity International, headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the world's largest nonprofit housing organizations. The scale of this study — spanning six continents and tens of thousands of participants — gives the findings unusual statistical weight compared with country-specific housing affordability analyses, and the organization indicated the data is intended to inform both policy makers and private-sector actors engaged in housing markets.
The report underscores a growing body of evidence that housing costs are crowding out other categories of household spending, with downstream consequences for public health, food security, and economic mobility. Analysts note that when households divert income from nutrition and preventive healthcare toward shelter, the social costs can compound over time, placing additional pressure on government safety-net programs.
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