In this article, we will take a look at the 20 Countries with the Highest Homeless Population. If you want to skip our analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Countries with the Highest Homeless Population.
Although there is no exact count for the number of homeless people across the globe, the World Economic Forum estimated that at least 150 million people were homeless around the world in 2021. In other words, about 2% of the world’s population is homeless. According to United Nations reports, there are 1.6 billion people worldwide living in inadequate housing conditions, and about 15 million are evicted every year. Out of all the OECD countries, the US has the highest number of house evictions per renting household— a 2023 study by the Yale Department of Economics delves deeper into the topic, explaining how evictions result in a direct negative impact on the economy. Unfortunately, homelessness has continued to increase at an alarming rate in the past decade.
In some regions like the Middle East, the primary reason for high rates of homelessness is conflicts between two countries, which results in high collateral damages and infrastructural loss. Moreover, some countries suffer from natural calamities that destroy residential units, and when the people or the government don’t have enough money to rebuild, the victims remain homeless.
However, in other cases, homelessness is a byproduct of unaffordable housing. With housing prices skyrocketing globally and people not earning enough to afford a house, it’s common to be homeless in quite a few countries. According to the IMF's 2021 report on global house pricing, many socio-economic factors contributed to the boom in house prices, alongside low interest rates and unfavorable government support policies. The International Labor Organization, reports that global unemployment grew to 5.2% in 2023, and in 2024 more than 2 million people will be looking for jobs. Put simply, global unemployment is on the rise, which in turn, makes it increasingly difficult for millions of people around the world to buy groceries, let alone pay rent or mortgage.
Given the rapid rise in the phenomenon, it’s safe to conclude that homeless people exist in every city, although there might be different reasons for all. Today, Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, has the highest number of homeless people in the world— around 4.5 million. If we talk about homelessness in US cities (See: 25 US Cities with the Highest Homeless Population Per Capita), Eugene tops the list with 432 homeless people per 100,000 residents.
Fortunately, many non-profit organizations and some governments are working hard to bring down the homelessness numbers. In fact, some NPOs and companies like UN-Habitat, Habitat For Humanity, Make It Right Foundation, 1 Mission, and Connect Homes are focusing solely on building homes for homeless people. This is one way to bring down homelessness, but it’s not a sustainable solution.
The key to reducing homelessness is building more houses, to meet the demands of a growing population and increasing housing supply demands to reduce competition and bring down the rents and mortgages. If we look at the real estate industry trends, between 2020-22, the industry was hot as buyers were abundant and prices were skyrocketing, but industry experts expect the real estate industry to crash in 2024. As published by Forbes Advisor, 2024 might be the best year to buy a house.
While the real estate industry is said to be experiencing a low, the key players of the industry, Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR), Howard Hughes (NYSE: HHH), and Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM) are bound to experience some degree of loss.
Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) achieved a revenue of 2.85 billion in 2023, which is a staggering 6.18% year-over-year growth. However, the company underperformed in its West Coast markets. According to the president and CEO of Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR), Mark J. Parrell, the reason for weak performance is the lower job growth on the West Coast. The CEO says that the company performed well in the East Coast market.
Meanwhile, Howard Hughes (NYSE: HHH), which builds commercial and residential buildings, had a decline of 39.43% in its year-over-year growth rate. In 2023, the company earned a revenue of $1.17 billion, which is a fall from $1.61 billion in 2022. Overall, 2023 was not a good fiscal year for Howard Hughes (NYSE: HHH).
Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM) is another real estate company with a bad year. In 2023, the company made a net income of $63.4 million, which is a downgrade from $104.8 million in 2022. As of January 2024, Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM) has a net worth of $1.14 billion, which has decreased by 26.87% from last year. Overall, 2023 was not a good year for the real estate industry but even more so for homeless people around the world.
In this list, we have discussed the countries with the highest homeless population as of 2024.
20 Countries with the Highest Homeless Population
Pixabay/Public Domain
Our Methodology
For our list of 20 Countries with the Highest Homeless Population, we have utilized the most recent data available with OECD, which discusses homelessness by country. We have ranked the list in ascending order, going from the lowest amount of homeless people to the highest amount of homeless people in a country. Note that these are only the top 20 countries and that homelessness exists in every country across the globe. We have also discussed government policies for homelessness and economic conditions for some countries.
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20 Countries with the Highest Homeless Population
20.Honduras
Homeless Population: 1,000,000
Honduras has an unstable economy and a lack of access to decent housing, which has resulted in 1 million citizens being homeless, and 16% of the homes being overcrowded. Organizations like Honduras Emergency WASH and Shelter (HEWS) aim to build homes and support the country’s homeless population. Another alarming observation from the country is that many children who are homeless in this country end up joining dangerous street gangs, which worsens the socio-economic conditions. There is also a lack of government support in Honduras when it comes to the homelessness issue.
19.Cameroon
Homeless Population in 2024: 1,033,000
Cameroon has a homeless population of 1.3 million people, the majority of this number being children. The primary reasons for homelessness in Cameroon include an unstable economy, poverty, and the civil war. With a large number of “street children,” it has become a problem for Cameroon as many of these children resort to drug abuse and begging in order to earn. The Ministry of Social Affairs in Cameroon has been working to provide homes for these street children, hoping to build at least 3000 homes in the near future.
18.Iraq
Homeless Population in 2024: 1,224,000
There are 1.2 million homeless people in Iraq, with 16% of the population fleeing their homes due to conflict in the country. While the majority of the homeless population resides in camps, there have been closures of displaced persons camps in Iraq. The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Khadimi has done these closures on order. There are also plans to close down all camps in Baghdad territories, which may cause a further increase in homelessness in Iraq.
17.South Sudan
Homeless Population in 2024: 1,542,000
South Sudan is currently undergoing a civil war and that has left 1.5 million citizens without a home. Many civilians were forced out of their houses and are currently living in slums or on the streets. There is also an ongoing famine in South Sudan, leaving the majority of the country’s population hungry and lacking in food. Organizations like World Concern have been providing food and aid to South Sudan and rebuilding villages to offer homes.
16. India
Homeless Population in 2024: 1,800,000
India is a country with billion-dollar companies like Reliance Global Group (NASDAQ: RELI) and TATA (NYSE: TTM). In 2023, Reliance Global Group (NASDAQ: RELI) had an annual revenue of $120 billion. Reliance Global Group (NASDAQ: RELI) aims to be a net-zero carbon company with eco-friendly renewable technologies.
However, even though India has a thriving economy and some of the top companies in the world, it still has a population of 1.8 million homeless people. The main causes of the population problems in the country are overpopulation, unemployment, poverty, and lack of affordable housing.
15.China
Homeless Population in 2024: 2,579,000
China is also home to some of the biggest companies, such as Alibaba (NYSE: BABA). With a $129 billion annual revenue in 2023, Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) has seen significant growth over the years. Recently, Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) has been implementing expansion plans to build local and online businesses in Europe.
Despite the country's rapid prosperity, homelessness is still a problem in China. There are 2.5 million homeless people in the country currently. The main cause of homelessness in China is urbanization, with the government demolishing homes and encouraging relocation to expensive neighborhoods.
14. Ethiopia
Homeless Population in 2024: 2,693,000
Ethiopia is 14th on our list of countries with the highest number of homeless people. The number stands at 2.6 million as of recent, and the main cause of this crisis is poverty, as it is a low-income economy. Out of the 2,693,000 homeless people, 600,000 are children. The government in this country hasn’t done much to help with this situation. Instead, the city of Addis Ababa further contributed to homelessness by demolishing 1000 homes in 2020.
13. Sudan
Homeless Population in 2024: 2,730,000
Sudan has a homeless population of 2.7 million people displaced due to the violent conflicts in the country. The conflict halted trade, farming, and even salary payments. Therefore, making the country’s economy highly unstable and creating a lack of resources for the citizens. International aid for Sudan is underfunded and is unable to support camps for housing the displaced. However, there are still organizations like Unicef that help provide aid, water, and safe spaces to the people of Sudan.
12. Somalia
Homeless Population in 2024: 2,968,000
Somalia also has a large homeless population, consisting of nearly 3 million people. Civil conflict, natural disasters, famine, and an inactive central government are the main reasons for Somalia's high homelessness rate. Besides lack of homes, the country also faces a lack of food and water, and adequate healthcare. Lack of healthcare makes people more vulnerable to diseases like cholera. The World Bank has provided $250 million in grants to Somalia to help combat its poverty and homelessness crisis, but there haven’t been many advancements other than that.
11. Indonesia
Homeless Population in 2024: 3,000,000
The homeless population in Indonesia is around 3 million, with the primary causes being urbanization and Covid-19. The Indonesian government hasn’t done much to help this cause but has instead contributed more to it by banning slums. There is also a scarcity of land in the country, making it harder for people to find a home. Organizations like Habitat for Humanity have been providing support and have helped 40,000 families in the country find access to safe housing.
10. Yemen
Homeless Population in 2024: 3,858,000
Yemen is facing a crisis where over 3 million people are homeless, some of them being displaced multiple times over the years. The main cause is poverty since it affects nearly 78% of the population. Yemen is facing the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with 80% of the population requiring aid. There is a considerable lack of essential resources like water, healthcare, and food in the country. Yemen’s government has an unstable legal structure, making it unable to provide much help to this cause. However, many organizations have been providing aid to Yemen like Human Concern International, and helping displaced families find homes.
9. Philippines
Homeless Population in 2024: 4,500,000
Despite being one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is facing a considerable homelessness crisis. As of 2024, there are 4,500,000 homeless people in the country. The government provides aid to the homeless through programs like MCCT-HSF provides financial support to homeless families, such as funding for education, health, and housing grants. However, the homeless numbers are more likely to rise due to poverty issues along with no legal way for people to get homes.
8. Afghanistan
Homeless Population in 2024: 4,660,000
Afghanistan has faced a massive influx of homelessness since the war in 2001. Recently, 400,000 Afghans were forced out of Pakistan, leaving 90% of them homeless. The ongoing conflict in Afghanistan has left the country as one of the poorest nations with an unstable economy. With the current political conditions of the country, it seems to be heading towards being an autocracy. Humanitarian organizations like the International Rescue Committee have provided aid and support to the displaced Afghans.
7. Colombia
Homeless Population in 2024: 4,943,000
There are nearly 5 million homeless people in Colombia, which is around 8.9% of the country’s population. Colombia's homeless population mainly resides in slums. The leading causes of homelessness in the country are poverty, drug addiction, and internal conflict. Fortunately, organizations like Habitat for Humanity have been helping build neighborhoods for those in need. There are also organizations like the Homeless World Cup Foundation, which helps homeless communities build careers in sports.
6. Bangladesh
Homeless Population in 2024: 5,000,000
Bangladesh has the 8th largest homeless population, with around 5 million people currently displaced. The cause of Bangladesh’s high homelessness rate is due to natural disasters, lack of affordable housing, high unemployment rate, and poverty. A majority of Bangladesh’s homeless population is refugees, mainly from Myanmar. Recently, a fire at a Rohingya camp in Bangladesh has left 7000 people homeless as well. The Bangladeshi government also has an Ashrayan Program to create homes for the homeless population.
