Sustainable housing on the rise in emerging markets: Study

Asia and Latin America are undergoing an eco-revolution, with new research revealing that demand for sustainable homes in these emerging markets is skyrocketing.

Global property portal Lamudi has recently released new data with regard to attitudes towards sustainability and green living in emerging markets.

The analysis of more than half a million property listings from the Lamudi website revealed that Pakistan is the leading emerging country for green homes and sustainable office space.

Other countries dominating in the supply of fully or partially sustainable homes include Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka, the research found.

With more than 16,700 property listings that include eco features, Lamudi.pk has seen a dramatic increase in the number of environment-friendly homes listed on its website over the past six months. Lamudi Pakistan recently crossed 100,000 active property listings, almost 17% of which are fully or partially eco-friendly.

In Bangladesh, the number of eco-homes on the Lamudi website increased by 420% in the past six months, in line with increasing local demand for sustainable housing. With over 7,000 eco-friendly listings, house-hunters in Bangladesh have more choice than ever when it comes to sustainable living.

Myanmar has also seen an increase in the number of sustainable houses on the market locally, with House.com.mm now listing 2,700 eco-friendly homes. There has also been a steady increase of sustainable homes in Latin America, with Mexico reaching 6,000 eco-home listings this month. The number of fully or partially sustainable homes on the Lamudi Mexico website has increased by 340% in the past six months.

Lamudi's Global Co-Founder and Managing Director Paul Philipp Hermann said, "Many of us assume that environmental and sustainability concerns are not important to house-hunters in emerging markets. This new research debunks that theory. The supply of sustainable houses in Asia and Latin America is rapidly increasing, which indicates the shift in attitudes towards green living in these regions. With the fast-paced economic development underway in these countries, it is a matter of time before they outgrow their neighbours in terms of the supply of sustainable homes."

- SJ