What Determines the Supply of Housing for the Elderly, and How Is it Related to the Spread of COVID-19?

Abstract

As in many other countries, the population of Sweden is getting older. This means that the number of older people in society will increase in absolute numbers and relative terms. Consequently, the need for elderly housing will increase, and the cost of these investments will be high. The following study aims to perform a quantitative analysis of the spatial distribution of the number and size of housing units for the elderly in Sweden in 2013–2018. The number of elderly housing units per capita is not evenly distributed, and a large part of the explanation is, of course, that the number of older people is not evenly distributed between municipalities. Nevertheless, we can also state that the municipality’s income level and tax base, as well as the geographical size and degree of urbanization, play a role. If the municipality has a surplus or deficit in the supply of special housing for the elderly, it does not correlate with the distribution of COVID-19 cases.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• demographics
• elderly
• housing stock

JEL-CODE:

• J11
• R23
• R31

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the research project Housing 2.0 (Bostad 2.0) for financial support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability

This is a project at Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) where Mats Wilhelmsson is working: (https://www.kth.se/bostad2noll/kthbostad-2-0-en-bostadsmarknad-for-alla-1.749663).

Notes

1 https://www.who.int/ageing/10-priorities/en/

2 The housing supply for special housing for the elderly residents refers to an apartment in a single-family houses or a multi-family houses. The special housing is intended for the elderly or people with disabilities where accommodation is always combined with service, support, and personal care. Common areas often consist of a kitchen, dining room and living room.

3 Means-tested access and entitlement to long-term care services.

4 Motion till riksdagen 1998/99:So 436 av Margareta Viklund (kd):

https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/webb-tv/video/motion/adelreformen_GM02So436

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Housing 2.0 (Bostad 2.0).