In Germany, due to the high cost of housing and loans, only 43.5% of residents own real estate

Germany ranks last among the EU countries in terms of the share of homeowners. Only 43.5% of households live in their own home or apartment. It's from sb.by.

According to the publication Bild, according to a study by Pestel Institut, this is the minimum figure for Germany for about the last 20 years. The country remains the only EU state where the majority of residents rent housing.

So, in Romania, about 94% of residents own housing, in Slovakia - 93%, in Hungary - 92%. In Austria, which is in the penultimate place in this indicator, the share of homeowners is about 54%.

The situation varies considerably depending on the region of Germany. While in Saarland, almost 60% of residents own their own housing, in Brandenburg - more than 44%, in Berlin this figure is about 16%, and in Hamburg - slightly more than 20%.

A particularly low proportion of property owners is observed among young residents of the country. Nearly three-quarters of Germans between the ages of 25 and 45 are renting, and about one in four have their own property.

Among the main causes of the housing crisis, experts call the high cost of construction and land, the growth of interest rates on loans, as well as insufficient government support. As a result, the purchase of own property becomes unaffordable even for many families with two sources of income.

Experts also look at the long-term social impacts. Own real estate is seen as a way to accumulate capital and ensure financial stability after retirement. People who continue to rent into old age are forced to bear additional costs, which can increase the risk of poverty among pensioners.