Markets

Insider Trading

Hedge Funds

Retirement

Opinion

15 Countries With Highest Mortgage Rates

In this article, we will take a look at the 15 countries with the highest mortgage rates. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to 5 Countries With Highest Mortgage Rates.

“We Are Heading into A Housing Renaissance”

On January 29, Jim Tobin, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Home Builders, appeared in an interview on Yahoo Finance, where he discussed the outlook for mortgage rates in 2024. Tobin said that over the next six months, mortgage rates are expected to decline steeply. According to Freddie Mac, mortgage rates are closer to 6.5% than they are to 7%. Moreover, as consumer demand is expected to increase in the spring season, the outlook for housing ahead of 2024, especially over the first six months seems to be positive. Over the past few months, mortgage rates have declined by one full percentage point. Other important catalysts expected to shape the housing outlook include the vast builder incentives, including price cuts and the expected drop in mortgage rates to lower than 6%.

On January 25, Reuters reported that the sales of new single-family homes in the United States have been significantly rising due to declining mortgage rates and a shortage of owned houses in the market. Sales expanded by 8% to hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 664,000 units in December 2023, compared to the revised 615,000 units in November 2023. Overall, the sales of new houses expanded by 4.2% in 2023 compared to 2022. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage experienced a steep decline in October 2023 from a 23-year high of 7.79%. The average mortgage rate was 6.6% last week, the lowest recorded since May 2023. You can also take a look at the cities where home prices are rising despite the high mortgage rates.

Prominent Mortgage Companies in the US

Mr. Cooper Group Inc. (NASDAQ:COOP), Guild Holdings Company (NYSE:GHLD), and loanDepot, Inc. (NYSE:LDI) are among the largest mortgage finance companies. Let’s discuss some recent updates from these companies. You can also take a look at the biggest mortgage companies in the US.

Mr. Cooper Group Inc. (NASDAQ:COOP) is a leading non-banking services provider for mortgage loans in the United States. The company offers its services across two segments including servicing and origination. Prominent features include originating residential mortgage loans, investor reporting, and customer services. Analysts are bullish on Mr. Cooper Group Inc. (NASDAQ:COOP). On January 10, Deutsche Bank analyst Mark Devries initiated coverage of Mr. Cooper Group Inc. (NASDAQ:COOP) with a buy rating and a price target of $88. Over the past 3 months, 6 Wall Street analysts have given a buy rating on Mr. Cooper Group Inc. (NASDAQ:COOP). Mr. Cooper Group Inc. (NASDAQ:COOP) has an average price target of $79.67 and a high forecast of $88.

Guild Holdings Company (NYSE:GHLD) is a growth-oriented mortgage company based in California, United States. The company owns a range of subsidiaries including the Guild Mortgage Company, Residential Mortgage Services, Inc., and Inlanta Mortgage, Inc. The company is also committed to giving back to the community. On January 4, Guild Holdings Company’s (NYSE:GHLD) charity organization, “The Guild Giving Foundation,” offered $500,800 to three charities in San Diego. These funds were raised from its fifth annual Charity Golf Tournament, Auction, and Dinner Social. The three charities included MyPath2Own Dedicated to Lisa Klika, Home Start, and Third Avenue Charitable Organization (TACO).

loanDepot, Inc. (NYSE:LDI) engages in the selling of mortgage and non-mortgage lending products. The company is based in California, United States. On December 19, 2023, loanDepot, Inc. (NYSE:LDI) announced that Mellohome, its real estate affiliate, launched a partnership with leading companies in the solar, home improvement, and home maintenance industry. The three key partnerships include Lumio, BOSSCAT, and HomeKeepr. The partnership is aimed at enhancing customer’s experience in home ownership. Lumio is a renewable energy solutions provider and it will leverage Mellohome’s clientele to offer its solar solutions. BOSSCAT is a real estate data platform providing customers with a network of repair solutions. Lastly, HomeKeepr is a moving services provider. The company will help Mellohome’s clients move into their new homes safely with trusted home security systems. 

Now that we have discussed the mortgage outlook ahead of 2024, without further ado, let’s take a look at the 15 countries with the highest mortgage rates.

15 Countries With Highest Mortgage Rates

Our Methodology

To come up with the 15 countries with highest mortgage rates we consulted The Global Economy to source our data. The Global Economy sources its data from the central banks of each country. For our list, we aimed to assess the average mortgage rates of countries over at least 15 years, to account for any political, economic, and natural factors. To identify the top 15 countries with the highest mortgage rates we first sorted our data based on the highest latest mortgage rates. We then picked the countries with an average rating period available for at least 15 years. It is to be noted that we only included countries, inclusive of territories and islands, with a population of over 1 million, as of January 30, 2024.

The average mortgage rates for all countries in our list are based on at least 15 years of data, with some having an average of over 15 years. We have mentioned the period in our list for clarity. Our list of the 15 countries with the highest mortgage rates is in ascending order of the latest reported mortgage rate as a primary metric to maintain uniformity.

By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. By using different consensus approaches, we identify the best stock picks of more than 900 hedge funds investing in US stocks. The top 10 consensus stock picks of hedge funds outperformed the S&P 500 Index by more than 140 percentage points over the last 10 years (see the details here). Whether you are a beginner investor or a professional one looking for the best stocks to buy, you can benefit from the wisdom of hedge funds and corporate insiders.

15 Countries With Highest Mortgage Rates

15. Poland

Latest Mortgage Rate (September 2023): 7.4%

Average Mortgage Rate (January 2004 – September 2023): 5.21%

Poland is one of the countries with the highest mortgage rates in the world. The average mortgage rate between January 2004 and September 2023 was 5.21%. The lowest mortgage rate recorded within this period was 2.27% and the highest mortgage rate recorded was 8.14%.

14. Romania

Latest Mortgage Rate (September 2023): 7.56%

Average Mortgage Rate (January 2007 – September 2023): 7.87%

With a mortgage rate of 7.56% as of September 2023, Romania ranks among the countries with the highest mortgage rates. The average mortgage rate for Romania between January 2007 and September 2023 was 7.87%.

13. Australia

Latest Mortgage Rate (October 2023): 7.57%

Average Mortgage Rate (January 2000 – October 2023): 6.12%

According to our methodology, Australia ranks among the countries with the highest mortgage rates. Australia has a mortgage rate of 7.57% as of October 2023, and an average mortgage rate of 6.12% between January 2000 and October 2023.

12. New Zealand

Latest Mortgage Rate (October 2023): 7.61%

Average Mortgage Rate (December 2004 – October 2023): 6.35%

New Zealand ranks among the countries with the highest mortgage rates, with a mortgage rate of 7.61% as of October 2023. The average mortgage rate between December 2004 and October 2023 was 6.35%.

11. Latvia

Latest Mortgage Rate (September 2023): 7.75%  

Average Mortgage Rate (January 2004 – September 2023): 5.3%

Latvia ranks among the countries with the highest mortgage rates. Latvia recorded a mortgage rate of 7.75% as of September 2023. The average mortgage rate in Latvia between January 2004 and September 2023 was 5.3%.

10. Ukraine

Latest Mortgage Rate (September 2023): 8.43%

Average Mortgage Rate (February 2006 – September 2023): 15.80%

With an average mortgage rate of 15.8% between February 2006 and September 2023, Ukraine ranks among the countries with the highest mortgage rates. The lowest and highest mortgage rate within the period was recorded at 0.03% and 26.75%, respectively.

9. Moldova

Latest Mortgage Rate (December 2023): 8.72%

Average Mortgage Rate (January 2008 – December 2023): 10.87%

Moldova ranks among the countries with the highest mortgage rates. The lowest and highest mortgage rate between January 2008 and December 2023 was recorded at 6.1% and 20.2%, respectively, with an average of 10.87%.

8. Costa Rica

Latest Mortgage Rate (September 2023): 9.22%

Average Mortgage Rate (December 2001 – September 2023): 14.04%

With a mortgage rate of 9.22% as of September 2023, Costa Rica ranks eighth among the countries with the highest mortgage rates. The average mortgage rate in Costa Rica between December 2001 and September 2023 was 14.04%. The minimum mortgage rate within the period was recorded at 6.11% and the highest mortgage rate was recorded at 26.28%.

7. Paraguay

Latest Mortgage Rate (September 2023): 10.28%

Average Mortgage Rate (January 2003 – September 2023): 15.58%

Paraguay ranks among the countries with the highest mortgage rates. The average mortgage rate in Paraguay between January 2003 and September 2023 was 15.58%, with a minimum mortgage rate of 7.45% and a maximum mortgage rate of 45.97%.

6. Bhutan

Latest Mortgage Rate (September 2023): 10.54%

Average Mortgage Rate (January 2008 – September 2023): 11.39%

With a mortgage rate of 10.54% as of September 2023, Bhutan ranks sixth among the countries with the highest mortgage rates. The average mortgage rate between January 2008 and September 2023 was 11.39%.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Countries With Highest Mortgage Rates.

Suggested articles:

Disclosure. None. 15 Countries With Highest Mortgage Rates is originally published on Insider Monkey.

AI, Tariffs, Nuclear Power: One Undervalued Stock Connects ALL the Dots (Before It Explodes!)

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal!

AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous.

Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink.

Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking:

Where will all of that energy come from?

AI is the most electricity-hungry technology ever invented. Each data center powering large language models like ChatGPT consumes as much energy as a small city. And it’s about to get worse.

Even Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, issued a stark warning:

“The future of AI depends on an energy breakthrough.”

Elon Musk was even more blunt:

“AI will run out of electricity by next year.”

As the world chases faster, smarter machines, a hidden crisis is emerging behind the scenes. Power grids are strained. Electricity prices are rising. Utilities are scrambling to expand capacity.

And that’s where the real opportunity lies…

One little-known company—almost entirely overlooked by most AI investors—could be the ultimate backdoor play. It’s not a chipmaker. It’s not a cloud platform. But it might be the most important AI stock in the US owns critical energy infrastructure assets positioned to feed the coming AI energy spike.

As demand from AI data centers explodes, this company is gearing up to profit from the most valuable commodity in the digital age: electricity.

The “Toll Booth” Operator of the AI Energy Boom

  • It owns critical nuclear energy infrastructure assets, positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy.
  • It’s one of the only global companies capable of executing large-scale, complex EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) projects across oil, gas, renewable fuels, and industrial infrastructure.
  • It plays a pivotal role in U.S. LNG exportation—a sector about to explode under President Trump’s renewed “America First” energy doctrine.

Trump has made it clear: Europe and U.S. allies must buy American LNG.

And our company sits in the toll booth—collecting fees on every drop exported.

But that’s not all…

As Trump’s proposed tariffs push American manufacturers to bring their operations back home, this company will be first in line to rebuild, retrofit, and reengineer those facilities.

AI. Energy. Tariffs. Onshoring. This One Company Ties It All Together.

While the world is distracted by flashy AI tickers, a few smart investors are quietly scooping up shares of the one company powering it all from behind the scenes.

AI needs energy. Energy needs infrastructure.

And infrastructure needs a builder with experience, scale, and execution.

This company has its finger in every pie—and Wall Street is just starting to notice.

Wall Street is noticing this company also because it is quietly riding all of these tailwinds—without the sky-high valuation.

While most energy and utility firms are buried under mountains of debt and coughing up hefty interest payments just to appease bondholders…

This company is completely debt-free.

In fact, it’s sitting on a war chest of cash—equal to nearly one-third of its entire market cap.

It also owns a huge equity stake in another red-hot AI play, giving investors indirect exposure to multiple AI growth engines without paying a premium.

And here’s what the smart money has started whispering…

The Hedge Fund Secret That’s Starting to Leak Out

This stock is so off-the-radar, so absurdly undervalued, that some of the most secretive hedge fund managers in the world have begun pitching it at closed-door investment summits.

They’re sharing it quietly, away from the cameras, to rooms full of ultra-wealthy clients.

Why? Because excluding cash and investments, this company is trading at less than 7 times earnings.

And that’s for a business tied to:

  • The AI infrastructure supercycle
  • The onshoring boom driven by Trump-era tariffs
  • A surge in U.S. LNG exports
  • And a unique footprint in nuclear energy—the future of clean, reliable power

You simply won’t find another AI and energy stock this cheap… with this much upside.

This isn’t a hype stock. It’s not riding on hope.

It’s delivering real cash flows, owns critical infrastructure, and holds stakes in other major growth stories.

This is your chance to get in before the rockets take off!

Disruption is the New Name of the Game: Let’s face it, complacency breeds stagnation.

AI is the ultimate disruptor, and it’s shaking the foundations of traditional industries.

The companies that embrace AI will thrive, while the dinosaurs clinging to outdated methods will be left in the dust.

As an investor, you want to be on the side of the winners, and AI is the winning ticket.

The Talent Pool is Overflowing: The world’s brightest minds are flocking to AI.

From computer scientists to mathematicians, the next generation of innovators is pouring its energy into this field.

This influx of talent guarantees a constant stream of groundbreaking ideas and rapid advancements.

By investing in AI, you’re essentially backing the future.

The future is powered by artificial intelligence, and the time to invest is NOW.

Don’t be a spectator in this technological revolution.

Dive into the AI gold rush and watch your portfolio soar alongside the brightest minds of our generation.

This isn’t just about making money – it’s about being part of the future.

So, buckle up and get ready for the ride of your investment life!

Act Now and Unlock a Potential 100+% Return within 12 to 24 months.

We’re now offering month-to-month subscriptions with no commitments.

For a ridiculously low price of just $9.99 per month, you can unlock our in-depth investment research and exclusive insights – that’s less than a single fast food meal!

Space is Limited! Only 1000 spots are available for this exclusive offer. Don’t let this chance slip away – subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter today and unlock the potential for a life-changing investment.

Here’s what to do next:

1. Head over to our website and subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter for just $9.99.

2. Enjoy a month of ad-free browsing, exclusive access to our in-depth report on the Trump tariff and nuclear energy company as well as the revolutionary AI-robotics company, and the upcoming issues of our Premium Readership Newsletter.

3. Sit back, relax, and know that you’re backed by our ironclad 30-day money-back guarantee.

Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! Subscribe now and take control of your AI investment future!


No worries about auto-renewals! Our 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee applies whether you’re joining us for the first time or renewing your subscription a month later!

A New Dawn is Coming to U.S. Stocks

I work for one of the largest independent financial publishers in the world – representing over 1 million people in 148 countries.

We’re independently funding today’s broadcast to address something on the mind of every investor in America right now…

Should I put my money in Artificial Intelligence?

Here to answer that for us… and give away his No. 1 free AI recommendation… is 50-year Wall Street titan, Marc Chaikin.

Marc’s been a trader, stockbroker, and analyst. He was the head of the options department at a major brokerage firm and is a sought-after expert for CNBC, Fox Business, Barron’s, and Yahoo! Finance…

But what Marc’s most known for is his award-winning stock-rating system. Which determines whether a stock could shoot sky-high in the next three to six months… or come crashing down.

That’s why Marc’s work appears in every Bloomberg and Reuters terminal on the planet…

And is still used by hundreds of banks, hedge funds, and brokerages to track the billions of dollars flowing in and out of stocks each day.

He’s used this system to survive nine bear markets… create three new indices for the Nasdaq… and even predict the brutal bear market of 2022, 90 days in advance.

Click to continue reading…