Majority in India own a house, but that does not mean opulence like it would mean in an advanced country
A year ago, the Union cabinet gave its approval to the “Housing for all by 2022” mission with a special focus on providing affordable housing to economically weaker sections in urban areas. While it is still early days to assess the scheme’s progress, what exactly is the housing situation in India?
Census data on housing amenities and analysis of National Sample Survey Organisation’s (NSSO) unit-level data in a recent paper by Arjun Kumar in the Economic and Political Weekly can be used to generate some stylized facts about India’s housing sector.
According to the 2011 census, there are 24.67 crore households in India. Of these, 68% are rural households and 32% urban households. Data suggests that a majority of households live in owned houses in both rural and urban areas. The share of households living in owned houses is 95% in rural areas and 69% in urban areas. Overall, 21.35 crore, or around 86% of these households, were living in owned houses. This is an increase compared to the 2001 census figures.
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