Rental market uncertainty: Which countries feel most insecure, and why?

The latest global assessment of land and housing tenure security reveals concerning trends. According to the 2024 Prindex Report, approximately 1.1 billion adults worldwide - representing 23% of the global population - feel insecure about their rights to property or land. This perception has risen significantly over the past four years.

In Europe and Central Asia, nearly one in five adults (19%) reports feeling insecure. Financial pressures, such as rising rent and mortgage costs, are among the primary contributors to this growing insecurity in Europe. 

But how do perceptions of tenure security for land and housing vary across Europe? Which countries feel most insecure, and what factors drive these perceptions? Euronews Business takes a closer look at the situation in Europe.

In 2024, among the 19 European countries included in the survey - encompassing EU members, candidate countries, and the UK - Turkey and Greece emerged as outliers, with insecurity levels 35% or higher. Ukraine closely followed at 33%, with perceptions of insecurity surging dramatically since Russia's invasion.

Anna Locke, co-director of Prindex, told Euronews Business that financial instability plays a key role in the heightened insecurity observed in Turkey and Greece.

"In Turkey, a rising trend of renting over homeownership and concerns about landlords or owners asking tenants to vacate are major drivers," she said.

"Similarly, in Greece, prolonged economic hardship and declining real wages have left families struggling to secure stable housing, despite broader economic recovery," she added.  

In Cyprus, one in four individuals (25%) expressed feelings of insecurity about their land or housing tenure while, in Albania, this figure stands at 20%. In the