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.
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.
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.
Top 10 Countries with most homeless people in the world 2024
What country cured homelessness?
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.
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.
Shelter's detailed analysis of official homelessness figures and responses to Freedom of Information requests reveals that one in 160 people in England are now homeless. This is up from one in 182 in 2023, owing to a sharp rise in people sleeping rough and families trapped in temporary accommodation.
Across English regions and Wales, the highest percentage of people identified as homeless was in London; 24.8% of all people identified as homeless were located in this region (3,460 people).
Why? : 1A : NPR. Seniors Are The Fastest-Growing Group Experiencing Homelessness. Why? : 1A People aged 50 and older have grown from about 10 percent of the homeless population to half. That's according to the most recent federal data.
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).
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.
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.
Why is homelessness such a big problem in America?
The United States simply does not have enough housing for everyone who needs it. Building and preserving affordable housing is one of the most effective ways to stop the flow of people into homelessness. More units need to be built, and current housing must remain accessible to low-income families.
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.
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.
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.
Finland may have found a way to eradicate homelessness. Helsinki, Finland's capital, is the main location for most of the Housing First initiative as well as the organizations working to eradicate homelessness. Image by Lilly Dietz. 2024.
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).
Baptista and Marlier (2019) report that 16 Member States have national, regional, or local homelessness strategies. Key elements include housing-led and/or Housing First services, prevention, monitoring, funding, and multi-level and multi-sectoral governance structures which enhance cooperation in policy and delivery.
Key findings and insights. The highest rate of SHS clients who were experiencing or at risk of homelessness were in the Northern Territory - Outback (628.7 clients per 10,000 population or 6,400 clients) and Western Australia - Outback (North) (554.0 clients per 10,000 or around 5,500 clients) regions.
