Finland has set itself a target: Nobody should have to live on the streets – every citizen should have a residence. And the country is successful: It is the only EU-country where the number of homeless people is declining.
Which country has no homeless population? With only two homeless people per 100,000, Japan is said to have the lowest rate of homelessness among developed nations who are members of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD).
In the EU, France has the highest rate of homelessness per 10,000 people, at 30.7, followed by Czechia (28.4), Germany (25.8), and Ireland (25.3). This rate is slightly over 10 in Portugal, whereas the neighbouring Spain fares somewhat better (5.4).
A Surprising Country Without Unemployment, Homelessness, Or Poverty
Is it illegal to be homeless in France?
There is no French national legislation that applies to the homeless in particular. In general, on the basis of the mayor's municipal police authority, municipalities can issue orders that are limited in their territorial scope which may affect the homeless. Camping or sleeping in public spaces?
This reduction started with an Action Plan to end homelessness and was characterised by the Housing First approach, a consistent policy of providing affordable housing financed by the state, making it easier for homeless people to access permanent residences.
Norway has one of the world's lowest rates of homeless people living in the streets (although data collection and definitions vary) In practice, the implementation of Norway's housing policy is split between the state, municipalities and the private sector.
Which cities had the largest homeless populations in 2024? Among urban and suburban continuums, the largest homeless populations were in the CoCs containing New York City (140,134) and Los Angeles (71,201), which were also the two most populous cities in the US.
The country with the lowest crime rate is Japan, mainly due to strict regulations on firearms preventing most citizens from buying, selling, possessing, or carrying a gun. The safest country in the world for women is Denmark, according to the 2023 Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index.
Homelessness has long become a problem in wealthy Switzerland. According to the Federal Office for Housing, more than 2000 people live without a permanent roof over their heads. Some have been living for years in assisted living facilities, in emergency shelters or in public spaces, on the streets.
The Constitution of Finland mandates that public authorities "promote the right of everyone to housing". In addition, the constitution grants Finnish citizens "the right to receive indispensable subsistence and care", if needed. Since 2002, the Night of the Homeless event has been hosted throughout the country.
For Denmark, Housing First has been the guiding principle of its homelessness strategy since 2009. Since October 2023, key elements of Housing First have been part of national danish legislation. The main goals are significantly decreasing the number of citizens in homelessness and ending long-term homelessness.
Causes. In 2015, it was reported that there are more than 3 million people who are homeless in China but recently this number has fallen significantly. Housing in China is highly regulated by the Hukou system. This gives rise to a large number of migrant workers, numbering at 290.77 million in 2019.
While there is no definitive answer, some reports have claimed that Japan has a homelessness rate of 0%. While 100% accurate numbers are probably not available, Japan seems to stand alone in that feat.
The regions are responsible for health care and regional transport infrastruc- ture, but otherwise the municipalities are largely self-governing. Homelessness is now a major social problem in Sweden, as in many other countries.
According to a 2022 study by the UK's Greater Change Foundation which measured homelessness globally, Japan has the lowest homelessness rate in the world at 0.003%, which is approximately 1 homeless person out of every 34,000 citizens, however, this number only includes those who are sleeping rough and excludes those ...
This system of begging and almsgiving to mendicants and the poor is still widely practiced in India, with over 500,000 beggars in 2015. In contemporary India, beggars are often stigmatized as undeserving. People often believe that beggars are not destitute and instead call them professional beggars.
In Europe, more than 1.2 million people are homeless. According to the latest report of the European Federation of Homeless Organisations (FEANTSA), homelessness increased by 43% in 2024 alone. In the face of such alarming data, government interventions remain fragmented, often emergency and rarely structural.
The lifetime literal rate of homelessness in the UK stands at 7.7%, which is higher than in the United States of America. This homeless rate also soars over homelessness in Belgium, Italy, and Germany, breaking all the worst records in all the wrong places.
Across the country, there's a chronic shortage of homes for social rent. Successive governments have not built enough social housing. This leaves people trapped in unaffordable and too often poor-quality homes, with the only options being to stay in unsafe housing, or be forced into homelessness.
Why does the Vagrancy Act exist? The Vagrancy Act was passed over 200 years ago in Georgian England. Since then, we have had 78 governments and seven monarchs. The Act was enforced after a rise in homelessness after the Napoleonic Wars and the social effects of the Industrial Revolution.
