Around 600,000 people in Sri Lanka still do not have safe or semi-permanent housing, the Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply, Dr. Susil Ranasinghe said.

Speaking during Ada Derana’s “BIG FOCUS” programme today (30), the Housing Minister said the housing shortage remains a significant issue in the country.

According to data from the Department of Census and Statistics compiled in December 2024, Sri Lanka has around 6.1 million households, while the total number of housing units is approximately 6 million.

The Minister said the figures do not fully reflect the actual housing situation, as some families own more than one house while some existing housing units are not suitable for habitation.

To address the issue, the government has launched a programme to provide 31,000 houses.

Under the first phase, 19,000 houses are expected to be either newly constructed or renovated. Around 12,000 of these houses will be built entirely with government funding, while the remainder will be provided through concessionary loan schemes.

The Minister said work on around 20,000 houses is currently at various stages of completion, with some projects expected to be completed next year.

He added that the 31,000-house programme does not include housing loan concessions provided to government officials and public servants, or a separate housing assistance loan scheme for Sri Lankans working overseas.

More than 5,000 houses are expected to be officially opened on October 5, Minister Ranasinghe confirmed during the BIG FOCUS” programme.