Vlogs, Blogs, and Videotape /// Thursday 20 June 2024

Hong Kong's Housing Challenges by Chan Wing Hei Jasper


The housing crisis in Hong Kong is complex and pressing. Many factors, such as the dense living density, poverty issues, and the market economy, led to an absurd housing price and the surge of barely livable housing spaces. Hong Kong is the least affordable of the three places that the median house price is 20.9 times the median income (Demographia, 2021). It is also alarming to have more than 200,000 people living in sub-divided units and cage homes, according to a 2020 poverty situation report. While public housing might be the only way out for those people, the Housing Authority currently has over 150,000 applicants on the waiting list, with an average waiting time of 5.8 years (The Standard, 2024). It is depressing to see how severe the housing problem in Hong Kong is.