Italy has the highest homeownership rate among Spain, Portugal and Italy, according to a new international ranking, with more than three-quarters of households owning the homes they live in.
Italy recorded a homeownership rate of 75.2%, placing it 11th among the countries listed by Visual Capitalist.
- Spain followed at 73.6%, ranked 14th
- Portugal stood at 72.1% in 18th place
The gap between the three countries is relatively small. Italy’s rate is 3.1 percentage points higher than Portugal’s, while Spain sits between the two.
All three countries are above the OECD average of 70.1%, according to the data used in the ranking. Italy and Spain are also above the European Union average of 72.5%; Portugal is slightly below that EU figure but remains above the OECD benchmark.
Italy ranks highest of the three
The figures place Italy just outside the global top 10, ahead of Spain and Portugal and well above several major English-speaking economies.
The United Kingdom’s homeownership rate is listed at 68.4%, compared with 68.6% in Canada and 65.3% in the United States. Australia is also below the three southern European countries, at 62.7%.
Country | Homeownership rate | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
Italy | 75.2% | 11th |
Spain | 73.6% | 14th |
Portugal | 72.1% | 18th |
European Union | 72.5% | — |
OECD average | 70.1% | — |
United Kingdom | 68.4% | 23rd |
Canada | 68.6% | 22nd |
United States | 65.3% | 28th |
The ranking measures the share of households that own the home in which they live. It does not measure the proportion of homes purchased by foreign buyers, the number of second homes, or property prices.
A global ranking led by eastern Europe
Slovakia tops the list with a homeownership rate of 93.5%, followed by Romania at 92.8% and Croatia at 90.4%. China, at 90.0%, ranks fourth.
Visual Capitalist said eight of the top 10 countries are current or former communist states. It linked the pattern to the legacy of socialist housing systems, under which state-owned homes were often privatised and sold to occupants at heavily discounted prices following the fall of communism.
At the other end of the ranking, Germany records a rate of 41.0%, while Switzerland’s 38.2% is the lowest among the countries shown. The source notes that strong rental markets, tenant protections and relatively affordable long-term renting can reduce pressure to buy.
The data was published by Visual Capitalist on 14 July 2026, using figures from the OECD Affordable Housing Database.
