INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS

Home ownership, rather than rented accommodation, is the most common tenure type in Australia and in many other OECD countries. In 2007-08, 68% of Australian households owned their own home. This is similar to home ownership rates in the United States (67% in 2007), Canada (68% in 2006) and New Zealand (67% in 2006). However, rates of home ownership vary substantially between OECD countries. In 2006, Italy (82%), Spain (90%) and Poland (96%) all had a much higher proportion of home ownership than Australia, whereas Germany (54%) had a significantly lower rate of home ownership. Although there may be higher levels of home ownership in some European countries, the quality of the dwellings may differ substantially from that expected and experienced in Australia in terms of size and the quality of physical conditions and amenities.