Press release

“EMF HYPOSTAT 2019: Latest developments in European Housing & Mortgage Markets

“EMF HYPOSTAT 2019:  Latest developments in European Housing & Mortgage Markets”

 

The European Mortgage Federation (EMF) is pleased to announce the publication of the 2019 edition of Hypostat which is the EMF-ECBC’s flagship, statistical report encompassing data on recent developments in housing and mortgage markets in Europe and beyond.

The 2019 edition (covering data until end 2018) presents data and analyses for the 28 Member States of the European Union, as well as data from 13 additional countries (Australia, Canada, Brazil, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey and the United States, plus Canada and Switzerland– both added for the first time this year).

Besides the country specific data, key facts revealed by Hypostat 2019 include the following:

  • House prices grew in most EU countries year-on-year with an overall price increase in Europe with respect to 2017 of 6.4%, thus confirming the growth level of the previous year. While the situation among and within different jurisdictions remained highly fragmented, most of countries have recovered pre-crisis levels.
  • Housing supply indicators in 2018 continued to pick up, however the need for more housing remains acute in many countries. Notwithstanding the increasing figures, in aggregate terms building permits granted in 2018 were 34% lower with respect to the average of 2000-2007.
  • Total mortgages outstanding in the EU increased by 2.9% in 2018, the strongest growth figure since 2015, reaching nearly EUR 7.3 tn, representing more than 45% of EU GDP. Similarly, total gross lending grew by 2.85% reaching EUR 1.17 bn at the end of 2018.
  • The decreasing trend of the past 10 years with regard to interest rates reversed in 2018, with the overall average interest rate for the EU slightly increasing to 2.53%, 9 bps more than the previous year. The preliminary figures for the first months of 2019 show slightly higher numbers, confirming the upward trend. The market mix for different mortgage interest rates in the EU remains highly fragmented, nevertheless, the preference of consumers for variable interest rates continued to decrease in aggregate terms.

Hypostat 2019 can be downloaded HERE 

Hypostat 2019 is the result of a collaborative effort by EMF national delegations and external experts and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their valuable contributions.

 

Contacts:

Daniele Westig

Economic Adviser

Tel: +32 2 285 40 40

dwestig@hypo.org

 

Sofia Garrido

Junior Adviser

Tel: +32 2 285 40 42

sgarrido@hypo.org

 

For further information on the activities of the European Mortgage Federation (EMF) – European Covered Bond Council (ECBC) please contact us at:  info@hypo.org