The proportion of homeowners in Germany, which is already very low by European standards, has fallen further according to a new study. In 2022, only 43.6% of households lived in their own property, down from 45% in 2011, according to the Pestel Institute, citing micro census figures that were published last year. The slow, almost continuous increase in the home ownership rate in previous decades has thus come to a halt.

According to the study, Germany ranks second to last among 19 European countries in terms of home ownership. Only Switzerland has a lower rate of home ownership. Slovakia is in first place among the 19 European countries, with a home ownership rate of over 90%, according to the study.

According to the Pestel Institute, there are also huge regional differences within Germany: at the bottom of the league is Leipzig, with a home ownership rate of just 13.3%. At the top of the league is the district of Südwestpfalz in Rhineland-Palatinate, which borders France, with 72.3%.