Housing: a determinant of health and equity

Housing is a fundamental human right. Yet, UN-Habitat estimates that 2·8 billion people around the world face some form of housing inadequacy, 1 billion people live in informal settlements and slums, and 300 million people are homeless. Adequate, safe, and affordable housing is not a luxury. The Sustainable Development Goal target 11.1—ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums by 2030—is clear, and the next 5 years will be crucial for countries to meet their targets. Housing is increasingly recognised as a determinant of health and wellbeing, yet governments are slow to act and poor housing remains a substantial challenge and a threat to public health in many countries.

To add to the increasing body of work on housing and to foster change, in this issue of The Lancet Public Health, a series of papers on housing as a determinant of health provides a comprehensive assessment of the complexity of the relationship between housing and public health, the many layers that can shape housing systems, and the opportunities that housing policies offer for a healthy, sustainable, and equitable future.

Read the Lancet Public Health Special Edition