Nigeria has the world's highest number of homeless people, and although there appears to be a precise number of homeless people, it is impossible to track and quantify those who change their state of “homelessness”.
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.
Bhutan, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Vatican City: These countries have reported or claimed to have no homeless population on average per day. The accuracy of data displayed may vary based on the methodology and criteria used by each country.
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).
Top 10 Countries with most homeless people in the world 2024
Where in England has the most homeless?
Westminster in London is also among the riskiest places for homelessness in the UK. Westminster has the highest number of rough sleepers in a single night in the whole of the country (277 rough sleepers a night), which is more than 20 times (2000%) higher than the national average of 13 rough sleepers a night.
A Paradigm Shift in Social Policy How Finland Conquered Homelessness. For years, the number of homeless people has been rising in Europe. But not in Finland. The country's Housing First program aims to eliminate the problem by 2027.
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.
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.
Homelessness impacts more men than women, and it impacts them differently. Domestic violence is the number one cause of homelessness for women, while men are more likely to experience chronic homelessness. Women often have young children — and nearly half of all homeless are under the age of 25.
How does homelessness in the UK compare to other countries?
John Glenton, executive director of care and support at Riverside housing association, said: “Shamefully, the UK tops the global league table with by far the highest rate of homelessness in the developed world with one in 200 households living in emergency temporary housing.
In 2024, New York City's homeless population was nearly twice the size of any other city's. About 771,480 people were experiencing homelessness in the US in January 2024, according to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data.
A large number of people in Russia face homelessness due to difficult social and economic conditions. The Russian state does not recognise this fully and official statistics are believed to be unreliable. There is, however, little doubt that the scale of the problem is enormous.
In Japan, the number of reported drug crime cases is comparatively low, remaining at around 18,000 cases per year. Marijuana represents the most used illegal drug, with people in their twenties being the age group with the highest arrest rate for cannabis-related crimes.
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.
Hungary criminalizes homelessness and is addressed in its constitution, which is seen as part of a broader illiberal governance in the country. Sleeping in a public space is illegal and violators can be fined or jailed.
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.
1. Vatican City. Vatican City, a city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy, that serves as the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, is considered to be the smallest country in the world with a population of fewer than 800 people.
