In this article, we will look at the 20 Countries with the Highest Homeless Population.
Homelessness affects people all across the globe, irrespective of their country of residence, age, and gender. According to the UN-Habitat, around 15 million people are forcefully evicted every year around the world, and these numbers have undergone an alarming increase in the last decade. Homelessness is spreading inconsistently around the world, with even a developed nation like the US experiencing this vice. Estimates show that around 1 in every 588 Americans is homeless.
However, attempting to accurately gauge the extent of homelessness across the globe is highly challenging, as the definitions of homelessness vary from country to country. In addition, census data to calculate homelessness is typically collected by considering households, which fails to take into account the “hidden homeless.” While the census data includes people living in shelters and receiving government aid, it does not look into the people living in inadequate settlements, such as structures not developed for housing, slums, and couch surfing with friends or families.
Estimated People Experiencing Homelessness Across the Globe
The last global survey to define homelessness in numbers was attempted by the United Nations in 2005, which calculated around 100 million homeless people across the globe. However, the actual figure is expected to be much higher. The World Economic Forum reported that around 150 million people are homeless across the world as of 2022. This accounts for around 2% of the world’s population. According to the UN-Habitat, around 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing as of 2022, translating to over 20% of the world’s population.
Countries in the EU and OECD reflect similar trends. Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that at least 2 million people in the region are estimated to be experiencing homelessness, according to official government statistics in 2023 or the latest year. This calculation is likely an underestimation due to the widespread measurement challenges that affect accurate depiction.
With these trends in view, let’s look at the 20 countries with the highest homeless population.
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
Our Methodology
To compile a list of the 20 countries with the highest homeless population, we sourced the most recently available data on homelessness from The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). We ranked our list in ascending order based on the estimated number of people experiencing homelessness as of the latest year.
At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
20 Countries with the Highest Homeless Population
20. Denmark
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Homelessness: 5,789
Denmark is a Scandinavian country that consists of the Jutland Peninsula and various islands. It ranks 20th on our list of the 20 countries with the highest homeless population, with around 5,789 people experiencing homelessness. According to estimates by the World Bank, the country has a population of 5.947 million as of 2023.
19. Latvia
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Homelessness: 5,997
Latvia lies between Estonia and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. Riga, its capital, is the most populated city in not just Latvia but all of the Baltic states. With around 5,997 people in the country experiencing homelessness as of 2023, the country ranks 19th on our list of the 20 countries with the highest homeless population in the world.
18. South Korea
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Homelessness: 8,469
South Korea is an East Asian country that lies on the southern half of the Korean peninsula. The country shares one of the most heavily militarized borders with its neighboring North Korea. South Korea’s capital is Seoul, which houses more than nine million people and is the most populous city in Korea.
17. Portugal
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Homelessness: 10,773
Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal is a southern European country on the Iberian Peninsula and borders Spain. It is the 17th country with the most homeless population in the world, and has a population of around 10.58 million people as of 2023, according to the World Bank.
16. Ireland
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Homelessness: 13,179
Ireland has more than 13,000 individuals experiencing homelessness as of 2023. It is the second-largest island of the British Isles and ranks 16th on our list.
15. Austria
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Homelessness: 19,667
Austria is a landlocked country located in Central Europe. It was formerly known as the Republic of Austria and lies in the Eastern Alps. The capital of Austria and its most populated city, Vienna, lies on the Danube River, in the eastern wing of the country.
14. Chile
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Homelessness: 20,775
Chile ranks 14th on our list of the 20 countries with the highest homeless population. Santiago is the capital of Chile, a long, narrow country located across the western edge of South America. It shares more than 6,000 kilometers of coastline with the Pacific Ocean.
13. Spain
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Homelessness: 28,552
With more than 28,552 people experiencing homelessness in Spain, the country ranks 13th on our list of the countries with the highest homeless population in the world. Spain houses around 48.35 million people as of 2023, according to World Bank estimates.
12. Poland
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Homelessness: 30,330
According to the Polish government, the country had a population of around 1.765 million in 2017. The Central European country ranks 12th on our list of the countries with the highest homeless population across the globe.
11. The Netherlands
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Homelessness: 30,600
Informally known as Holland, the Netherlands is located in Europe’s northwestern wing. Its capital and most populous city, Amsterdam, houses the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the house where Anne Frank hid during WWII.