Where Data Tells the Story
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Between 2007 and 2024, the stock of social housing in Germany fell from 2.03 million to just 1.05 million. This represents a decline of 48.6 %, in other words, almost one in two social housing units has been lost in less than two decades. The main reasons for this are the sale of local authority housing stock, the expiry of social housing commitments and new-build construction that is falling far short of what is needed. And a regional comparison shows just how much of a difference the policies of the federal states make: per 100,000 inhabitants, there are 4,264 social housing units in Hamburg, compared with just 82 in Saarland. Whilst Hamburg actively promotes social housing and retains municipal stock, social housing commitments in Saarland expire after just 10 years, whereas in other federal states they do so only after 25.