What are the origins of this fun-filled festive custom?
Sydney, Australia's most populous city, holds the third spot on the list of cities with the highest homeless populations in the world. According to the most recent data, there were 122,494 people experiencing homelessness in the country.
Rome is the capital of Italy and its most populous and extensive municipality. According to the most recent data available, there are an estimated 96,197 people experiencing homelessness in Italy.
Auckland, New Zealand's most populous city, is home to more than 32% of the country's total population. According to the most recent data available, there were 102,123 individuals experiencing homelessness in New Zealand.
In 2023, Slovakia had more than 71,000 people experiencing homelessness. Bratislava, the capital and most populous city, has a significant share of this population and ranks seventh on the list of cities with the highest homeless population.
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the capital city of the province of Ontario. The country is estimated to have 40,713 individuals experiencing homelessness, according to the most recent data.
Lively Bogotá is Colombia's capital and most populous city. According to the most recent data from 2018, there are approximately 34,091 people experiencing homelessness in Colombia.
Stockholm ranks 10th among the cities with the highest homeless populations in the world. Estimates suggest there are 33,269 individuals experiencing homelessness in Sweden. Reports indicate that rising housing prices have significantly contributed to this increase.
Picturesque Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands. Data from 2023 suggests that the homeless population in the country has risen, with an estimated 30,600 individuals experiencing homelessness.
Warsaw is Poland's capital and most populous city. According to the most recent data, there are 30,330 unhoused people in the country.
In second place is Berlin, the capital and largest city of Germany. With a population of approximately 3.85 million, Berlin is notable for its size. The latest estimates suggest that there are 262,600 people experiencing homelessness in Germany.
Paris, the capital and most populous city of France, ranks first on the list of the 30 cities with the highest homeless populations in the world. Expensive housing and the growing gap between income and affordability have contributed to France's homelessness figures, which are estimated at 333,000.
Sources: (Yahoo News) (Housing First Europe)
See also: The causes, effects, and solutions to the global homelessness crisis
Madrid is Spain's capital and most populous city. Recent data suggests that approximately 28,552 people are experiencing homelessness in Spain.
Santiago is the capital and largest city of Chile. Recent estimates suggest that 20,775 individuals are experiencing homelessness in the country. Contributing factors include a pandemic-induced recession, a housing crisis, and a major influx of immigrants, which have all exacerbated Chile's homeless population.
Prague is the Czech Republic's capital and most populous city. The country had around 104,818 people experiencing homelessness in 2023.
Located on the Danube River, Vienna is the capital and most populated city in Austria. Recent estimates suggest that the country has 19,667 individuals experiencing homelessness.
Riga is the most populated city in not just Latvia but all of the Baltic states. It ranks 19th out of 30 cities with the highest homeless population in the world, with around 5,997 unhoused people in the country as of 2023.
Seoul, with a population of over nine million, is the most populous city in South Korea. According to recent data from the OECD, South Korea had 8,469 people experiencing homelessness.
Previously known as Vilna, Vilnius is the capital and most populated city of Lithuania. It is also the second most populated city in the Baltic states. In 2023, Lithuania had approximately 4,317 people experiencing homelessness.
Copenhagen is the capital and most populous city of Denmark. An estimated 5,789 people experienced homelessness, according to recent data from the OECD.
Dublin is Ireland's capital and largest city. The country had more than 13,000 people experiencing homelessness in 2023.
According to data from the OECD, an estimated 3,900 people experienced homelessness in Israel in 2023. Jerusalem is Israel's largest city, with a population above one million.
Helsinki is the capital and most populous city in Finland. In 2023, Finland had an estimated 3,686 people experiencing homelessness. The country has implemented a "Housing First" program, which aims to eliminate the homeless problem by 2027.
Lisbon is Portugal's capital and most populous city. Recent data suggests that, amid a housing crisis, there were an estimated 10,773 people experiencing homelessness in the country.
Ljubljana is the political and cultural heart of Slovenia. The country had an estimated 3,545 people experiencing homelessness.
Oslo is Norway's capital and most populous city. The country had an estimated 3,335 people experiencing homelessness, according to recent data.
Iceland is located between the Arctic and the North Atlantic oceans. Its capital and most populated city is Reykjavik. According to estimates, there were around 1,272 homeless people as of 2023.
In 2023, an estimated 1,068 people were experiencing homelessness in Estonia. As the capital city, Tallinn likely had a significant portion of this population.
Recent data suggests there were an estimated 1,387 people experiencing homelessness in Greece. The capital and most populous city, Athens, has a substantial homeless population.
Home to more than nine million inhabitants, Tokyo is Japan's largest city. According to data, approximately 3,065 people were unhoused in 2023.
Based on estimates from the OECD, Costa Rica had approximately 5,786 people experiencing homelessness in 2023, with San José, the capital and most populous city, likely representing a significant portion of this population.
Using the latest data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Yahoo News, this gallery explores the 30 cities with the highest estimated homeless populations. To create this ranking, the methodology used looks at the largest city in each country as a representative example for estimating homelessness, based on the most recent numbers available.
If you're curious to see which city placed first, click through now.
The 30 cities with the highest homeless population in the world
Do you know which city has the highest unhoused population?
LIFESTYLE Unhoused
While the exact number of homeless people around the globe is difficult to determine, the World Economic Forum estimated that around 150 million people were homeless in 2021, equating to approximately 2% of the world’s population. And numbers are on the up! Some of the reasons behind the increase in homelessness are rising rents and a decrease in affordable housing.