The proportion of people living in overcrowded conditions in 2023 increased to 12.9%, especially the population at risk of poverty, according to the results of the Living Conditions and Income Survey, released this Friday by INE.
Last year, “12.9% of people lived in housing in which the number of habitable rooms (equal or greater than four square meters) was insufficient for the number and demographic profile of household members, 3.5 percentage points more than in the year previous (9.4%)”, noted the National Statistics Institute (INE).
As in previous years, the risk of living in a situation of insufficient housing space was more significant for the population at risk of poverty, with 27.7% of this population experienced housing overcrowding last year, which compares to 9.8% of the rest of the population.
According to INE, in 2023, the housing overcrowding rate was highest for the youngest population (21.8% for the age group up to 17 years old), decreasing with age (13.9% for adults and 4 .4% for the elderly).
The overcrowding rate was also higher for the population living in predominantly urban areas (14.9%).
The increase in the condition of overcrowding in relation to 2022 was transversal to the entire territory, but more significant in the Autonomous Regions, with an increase of 3.3 percentage points in the Mainland, 7.9 points in the Azores and 7.3 in Madeira .
The statistical authority also concluded that 36.4% of the population lived in housing underoccupancy, that is, in housing where the number of habitable rooms was greater than what would be necessary for the number and demographic profile of household members, mainly affecting the older population (56.2%) and families without dependent children (51.7%).
Last year, 6% of residents lived in severe conditions of housing deprivation, 2.1 percentage points more than in 2020 (3.9%), which was the last year with complete data collection on the physical and sanitary conditions of residents. accommodation, interrupted in 2021 and 2022.
Severe deprivation of housing conditions in 2023 mainly affected the population at risk of poverty (14.8%), those under 18 years of age (10.7%) and residents in predominantly urban areas (7.7%).
Considering the composition of the household, both the rate of overcrowding and the rate of severe deprivation of housing conditions mainly affect families with dependent children (21.1% and 10%, respectively).
If we consider only the problems related to sanitary facilities and the quality of the basic physical structures of the accommodation (ceiling, walls, floor, windows), it was observed that 33% of the population lived, in 2023, with deprivation in at least one of the items considered.
In contrast, there was a slight improvement in the ratio between housing expenditure and families’ disposable income, with a median burden of housing expenditure of 9.7%, lower than the result of 10.2% recorded in the previous year, and a rate overload of housing expenses of 4.9%, slightly below the value in the previous year (5%).
When asked about previous situations in which they had to temporarily spend the night in another accommodation (private or collective), on the street or in a public space, because they had nowhere to stay, 4% of people aged 16 or over reported having experienced at least one situation of housing difficulties, of which 3.2% were temporarily staying with friends or family.
The main reasons cited by respondents were “relationship or family problems” (39.6%) and “financial problems” (19.1%).
