International housing statistics and research -- Habitat for Humanity Int'l 1
International housing statistics and research
According to the authors of a report prepared for the World Urban Forum in Vancouver, “Improving conditions and addressing the global housing crisis should be a high priority for national governments and international donors, but, for reasons that are not clear, it is not….In many countries around the world, opportunities to achieve economic, social, and civic development goals through housing-related initiatives are being missed.”
Statistics
- By the year 2030, an additional 3 billion people, about 40 percent of the world’s population, will need access to housing. This translates into a demand for 96,150 new affordable units every day and 4,000 every hour. (UN-HABITAT: 2005)
- One out of every three city dwellers – nearly a billion people – lives in a slum and that number is expected to double in the next 25 years. (Slum indicators include: lack of water, lack of sanitation, overcrowding, non-durable structures and insecure tenure.) (UN-HABITAT: 2006)
- As much as 70 percent of the urban housing stock in sub-Saharan Africa, 50 percent in South Asia, and 25 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean is of poor quality and not in compliance with local regulations. (Kissick, et al: 2006)
Research findings
- One’s health is directly linked to housing and housing related basics such as water and sanitation. In Mexico, researchers at the World Bank and University of California, Berkeley, found that replacing dirt floors with concrete floors improved the health of children, including a 20 percent reduction in parasitic infections, a 13 percent reduction in diarrhea and a 20 percent reduction in anemia.
- 2.6 billion people or 39 per cent of the world’s population live without access to improved sanitation and 751 million people share their sanitation facilities with other households or only use public facilities. (World Health Organization, 2009)
- Children under five living in Habitat for Humanity houses in Malawi showed a 44 percent reduction in malaria, respiratory or gastrointestinal diseases compared to children living in traditional houses. The effect of improved housing on the health of young children was as high as that of water and sanitation programs. (Wolf, et al: 2001)
- Access to land is fundamental to adequate shelter. Having legal title to that land encourages families to invest and improve their homes and allows them to access credit and other public services such as water and electricity. Nearly one sixth of the world’s population is living without secure tenure (UN-HABITAT: 2008).
- Women are particularly affected by insecure tenure. Increasing and protecting women’s access to land tenure can decrease their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, violence, human trafficking and the impact of natural disasters. Women own less than 15 percent of the land worldwide (International Center for Research on Women: 2006).
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