EU sees rise in homelessness amid housing crisis: report DW 10/10/2025

"Which EU countries have the highest homelessness rates? By numbers: Germany. Europe's largest-economy reported earlier in 2025 that 531,600 people are without a permanent shelter in the country, although the figure covers different kinds of homelessness, including people staying with friends and family. Calculated in proportion to inhabitants, the Czech Republic has the most homeless people, with more than 230,000 people living in another type of housing or are homeless out of the country's population of 10 million."

"According to the Feantsa report, homelessness figures are also rising in several EU countries, most notably in Finland, Denmark and Ireland. The median rent has increased in many European cities, making low-income households unable to afford housing without spending more than 33% of their income on rent. According to calculations by the Housing Foundation and Feantsa, this is the case in Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin, with the median rent per square meter at 31.50."

"Feantsa deputy director, Ruth Owen, said the researchers sought to highlight who the housing crisis affects and how. "The picture is quite complicated because the data quality and scope varies enormously, but the report gives us that kind of headline that homelessness is a substantial and worsening problem in the European Union," Owen told DW. Lower numbers, according to Owen, are often due to underreporting, rather than countries being particularly good at tackling the issue."

Homelessness across the European Union is increasing, with Germany reporting 531,600 people without permanent shelter and the Czech Republic exhibiting the highest per-capita homelessness. Homelessness figures are rising notably in Finland, Denmark and Ireland. Median rents have increased in many major European cities, forcing low-income households to spend more than 33% of income on rent in capitals such as Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin. Data quality and scope vary enormously between countries, and underreporting contributes to apparently lower numbers in some places, masking the full scale of the problem.

Read at www.dw.com