BERLIN – Around 1.9 million flats were empty in Germany as of May 15, 2022, census figures show, despite the high demand for housing.

This corresponds to a vacancy rate of 4.3%, the Federal Statistical Office reported on Thursday. More than half of the properties, or 55%, have been unoccupied for more than a year.

Only just over a third of the empty flats, or 38%, were ready for occupation in the next three months.

In the city states of Hamburg, Bremen and Berlin, the share of quickly available flats were significantly higher at 52-61%. Construction measures or renovations were planned for almost one in four (24%) empty flats.

Demolition was planned for only 4% of the vacant flats, while 7% were to be sold or used by the owners themselves. Other reasons were cited for one in five vacant flats.

The data comes from the 2022 census, which is based on official registers and a survey of 12% of the population on various topics.

According to the statistical office, around 23 million owners provided information about their properties in the building and housing census, as did around 8,000 housing companies.