The social housing stock has grown by 527.000 units in ten years, according to Ancols.

In 10 years, 747.000 social housing units have been put into service, meaning made available to households applying for social housing. At the same time, 220.000 social housing units have been sold or demolished, according to Ancols.

In total, the social housing stock comprised 5,13 million homes on January 1, 2024, an increase of 11,4% compared to January 1, 2014.

The annual rate of increase in the number of social housing units has been slowing for a decade, falling from 59.000 new units in 2014 to 35.000 in 2023.

More worryingly, over the past ten years, the creation of so-called "very low-income" housing, with the lowest rents (called PLAI), has been "clearly insufficient in relation to demand, given the large number of demolitions" of low-rent housing, notes Ancols.

In ten years, "very low-income housing has increased by only 4%", while it was already insufficient to meet demand in 2014, notes Ancols. "Nearly 60% of households applying" that year had "resources below the PLAI ceilings" while "44% of the housing stock" consisted of "very low-income housing".

"The net evolution of social housing over the past ten years has accentuated the mismatch between supply and demand in terms of resources," criticizes Ancols.

The Social Union for Housing (USH) "has long observed and denounced a mismatch" between the creation and needs of social housing, which is "the consequence of a policy carried out by the Ministries of Economy and Housing", emphasizes Marianne Louis, Director General of the USH, confederation of the HLM movement.

"It is not the social landlords who decide to limit the production of PLAI," which is "quotaed by the State through housing subsidies," she reminds us.

From the 2022 presidential election onwards, the USH called for setting a target of 60.000 very low-income housing units created per year, while 30.000 PLAI housing units were made possible thanks to the National Housing Assistance Fund in 2025.

To build more very low-rent housing, "more investment aid is needed" for social landlords, but conversely "the State has gradually withdrawn from financing the National Housing Aid Fund", laments Marianne Louis.

On the other hand, according to Ancols, social landlords have adapted to the needs of single people, who now represent half of the applications for social housing, and have built 40% small apartments (T1 and T2).

Geographically, the Agency notes "an overall consistency in the location of social housing construction" and "the areas identified as having the greatest needs concentrate the majority of the increase in the social housing stock."

At the end of 2025, 2,9 million households were waiting for social housing, a record.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.