New Delhi, May 21 -- Around 40% of the world's population, approximately 3.4 billion people, are impacted by a housing crisis that includes affordability, shortage and poor quality of homes, as well as poor access to clean water and sanitation, a United Nations report released Tuesday. As cities are expected to absorb an additional two billion people by 2050, the World Cities Report 2026, released by UN-Habitat at the World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan, highlighted the intense pressure on housing, which is already strained by urbanisation, rising land prices, widening inequality and climate change. Housing prices have risen faster than incomes globally, the report states. The price-to-income ratios increased from 9.3 in 2010 to 11.2 in 2023, reaching 16.8 in central and south Asia, including India. Rental affordability is also worsening, with 44% of households worldwide spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Citing reports by the property consultancy firm Knight Frank and the real-estate service provider Magicbricks, the UN report noted that the affordable housing segment in the eight largest Indian cities declined from 52% of new builds in 2018 to just 17% in 2025. This is due to developers prioritising mid and high-end units where profit margins are higher. Mumbai and Delhi have price-to-income ratios of 14.3 and 10.1, making home ownership unaffordable for households earning the median income. Only a small number have access to formal mortgage finance, which prevents families from buying homes or relying on savings, informal borrowing or extended family networks....