Dwelling stock estimates: as at 31 March 2017

Main points

• The total number of dwellings in Wales continues to grow steadily with an estimated 1.4 million dwellings at 31 March 2017. This represents an increase of 6% over the last 10 years.
• The estimated number of private sector dwellings has increased steadily over the last ten years. This was mainly due to an increase in the number of privately rented dwellings. The private sector accounted for 84% of all dwellings in 2017 and 14% of all dwellings were privately rented.
• The percentage of dwellings which are owner occupied has fallen over recent years. However, they continue to represent the majority of all dwellings in Wales, accounting for 70% in 2017.
• In 2017, social sector dwellings accounted for 16% of all dwellings. The proportion of dwellings rented from local authorities has decreased from 11% in 2007 to 6% in 2017. The proportion of all dwellings rented from Registered Social Landlords has increased from 5% to 10% over the same period.