Global Study: 3 in 4 People Cut Basic Needs to Pay for Housing
A Habitat for Humanity worldwide survey finds housing costs forcing millions to sacrifice food, healthcare, and financial security.
Three out of four people globally are reducing spending on essential needs — including food, healthcare, and savings — in order to afford housing, according to a major new study released by Habitat for Humanity on October 6, 2026. The Atlanta-based nonprofit published the findings as housing affordability pressures continue to intensify across both developed and developing economies.
The research underscores the breadth of the global housing cost burden, showing that the trade-offs households make are not limited to lower-income countries. Millions of families worldwide are being forced into difficult financial decisions that compromise long-term stability and basic well-being, the study found.
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Habitat for Humanity's findings highlight that the consequences of unaffordable housing extend well beyond shelter costs themselves. When a significant share of household income is consumed by rent or mortgage payments, spending on nutrition, medical care, and future planning suffers — creating cascading effects on public health and economic mobility.
The study adds quantitative weight to a concern that policymakers, urban planners, and housing advocates have raised for years: that a global shortage of affordable housing units is producing measurable harm to living standards. Habitat for Humanity, which operates in dozens of countries, framed the results as a call for coordinated action by governments and the private sector to expand the supply of affordable homes.
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