Homelessness is a phenomenon that popular culture has often attributed to poorer countries around the globe, particularly in the Global South. But according to a new report from a British publication, the Financial Times, the crisis is of grave concern in the west as well, particularly in the United Kingdom.
UK Tops Homelessness List
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, the former empire has the worst numbers among the developed nations of the world.
According to the report, in Britain, per 10,000 people, 50.5 are in emergency or temporary accommodation and 0.86 of them are living on the street. All four constituent countries of the kingdom account for about 80 per cent of the homelessness in the developed world.
The overall picture for the whole of the European continent does not appear rosy either. According to the same report, the United Kingdom is followed by Belgium, a nation that houses the EU headquarters, with 30 in 10,000 people living in near jeopardy.
The following three names on the list are also from the old continent, with the region’s second-largest economy, France, following Belgium. Czechia and Europe’s powerhouse, Germany, come in next on the list.
This development does not come at a good time for the UK’s ruling Conservatives, as the party, which is in shambles, is predicted to lose the upcoming general elections in a cataclysmic fashion. | AFP
US Comes in At Sixth
Interestingly, the United States, which, according to many, has struggled with establishing an egalitarian housing paradigm, comes in at sixth.
This development does not come at a good time for the UK’s ruling Conservatives, as the party, which is in shambles, is predicted to lose the upcoming general elections in a cataclysmic fashion.
It is especially embarrassing for the party, which is now led by Rishi Sunak, as it was the party’s biggest poll promise under then leader Boris Johnson to ‘level up’.
‘Levelling up’ was the party’s seemingly unfulfilled poll-promise to reduce the disparity in housing across the country, with some parts being greatly affected compared to others.
In addition, other macroeconomic developments have also not gone in the favour of the Brits, as the Pound Sterling has struggled to keep up with the crumbling facade in the country. According to recent data, the Pound Sterling is worth 1.27 US Dollars. The only visible silver-lining for the country, is perhaps its marquee index, the FTSE 100, which reached an all-time high in the month of April.