In 2023, 3.1 million housing units will be vacant in France, excluding Mayotte, or 8.2% of the housing stock, according to a study from INSEE published Tuesday. The number of vacant homes has increased by 1.2 million since 1990, an increase of 60%, the report said.
This increase occurs mainly “from 2005” and has since reached “2.5% on average per year”, notes INSEE, which means that the number of vacant housing increases “2.3 times faster than the total number of housing between 2005 and 2023”. Among the multiple causes of the increase observed, INSEE mentions “the evolution of the population and construction” but also the “effects of the economic situation or tax and regulatory developments”.
Vacancy is on the rise in “almost all departments, with the exception of Corsica and Hérault”. “The share of vacant housing is higher in areas with the least population density […]. Conversely, it remains lower in the areas of attraction of the most populated cities, in areas with demographic growth or in those known for their tourist attraction”, analyzes the National Institute of Statistics, based on tax data and the population census.