Globally, over a billion people—roughly one out of every seven—have no access to decent quality housing, and some 3 billion will need housing by 2030.1 Of the 1,033 million people living in slums and informal settlements, nearly 600 million, or 60%, live in Asia: some 370 million (36%) in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and 227 million (22%) in Central Asia and South Asia (footnote 1). The number is on the increase as about 127,000 individuals come to Asia’s cities daily. The housing gap is the worst in lower- and middle-income countries where urbanization and population growth are outpacing the formal housing supply and an ever-growing number of people are housing-cost burdened or live in inadequate shelter.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has further exposed the housing inequities in Asia and globally. It has revealed the fragile relationship between a person’s living environment and their social, physical, and economic well-being, and in particular between housing and public health outcomes. The pandemic is harming nearly everyone but, all else being equal, those without safe, sanitary, affordable, and secure housing are suffering the most.