The evaluations of the evaluation study "Low-barrier housing: demand increases due to aging part - subsidies have an effect" provide an up-to-date overview of the number of barrier-free properties in Germany. Experts also provide forecasts of how the demand for "age-appropriate housing" will change by the year 2035. According to initial calculations, around 22 million people in Germany will be older than 65 in the next ten years, making up a total of 26 percent of the German population. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, 18.3 million people are over 65 at the present time (22 percent).
Taking into account developments in the creation of barrier-free housing, it can be assumed that there will be a shortage of around two million apartments with barrier-free features by 2035. Barrier-free" includes apartments and houses that have sufficient space and freedom of movement for residents. For example, they have no steps, thresholds or stairs and a level shower. The developments are made clear by the high demand for financial subsidies for age-appropriate conversion, such as the grant program of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). While around 6,300 apartments in Germany were financially subsidized in 2018, the figure was already 13,600 apartments one year later.
The figures from this year show that the rising demand for barrier-free housing is continuing. For example, 16,700 apartments had already been subsidized by the end of September. But in percentage terms, the figures from 2018 clearly show that the supply of barrier-free housing is still far from sufficient: of a total of 37 million existing apartments and single-family homes, only 560,000 had barrier-free features. This corresponds to only about 1.5 percent of all apartments and single-family homes. More information on developments in the field of age-appropriate new construction and conversion, as well as on the investment incentives provided by funding programs and many other topics, can be found in the evaluation study by KfW Research and the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Building and the Home Affairs (BMI).
Source: KfW Research/BMI
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