Figure 28: Number of households living in different types of housing, 2001-2019

8.1 Housing

Like other resources, a clear socio-economic divide exists for housing. Wealthier individuals largely reside in affluent suburban areas with adequate utilities and services, while poorer people often inhabit townships. People living in townships who have an income have attempted to improve their homes by accessing loans. This is however a luxury that few can afford. Over the years, frustrations have often resulted in protests for basic housing and utilities. Figure 28 below shows the number of households living in different types of housing and how this has changed from 2001 to 2019. Formal dwellings have increased, and 82% of households currently reside in what might be considered as a decent house (basic brick/concrete block structure), up from 69% in 2001. Many however still reside in informal shacks or traditional dwellings. While 14 million households live in what appear to be formal structures, there are only 6.6 million registered residential properties on the Deeds Registry.50

Figure 28: Number of households living in different types of housing, 2001-2019 Sources: Census 2001, CS 2007, Census 2011, CS 2016, GHS 201921–23

Government grants for housing have played a large role, with the percentage of households that report receiving a government housing subsidy increasing from 6% in 2002 to 19% in 2019. Over 10% of households in these state-subsidised houses however report that the roof or walls were weak.21

More detailed 2015 data show that the proportion of inadequate dwellings decreases as household income increases. This is shown in Figure 29 below, with “inadequate” being defined as informal or traditional houses, dwellings with no flush toilets, and households that have more than two people per room. This suggests that despite formal housing increasing over time, many still have housing that is lacking in many ways.