Category
Housing
Built for housing teams deciding where energy and rent will take more of the wallet, which markets can carry a higher bill, and how quickly that changes.
COICOP 4 · WDP 2026.2.3
Housing, water and energy in numbers, 2026 to 2036
USD 14.37T
Spending in 2026
USD 23.17T
Spending in 2036
+USD 8.79T
Added by 2036
4.89%
Annual growth to 2036
USD 1,761
Per person a year
20.3%
Share of the global wallet
nominal USD, current prices
We map and forecast housing and utilities spending across cities.
We can identify the future city markets for housing and utilities.
Annual consumer spending on housing, water and energy, 2000 to 2040.
- Tokyo: USD 162bn in 2000
- New York City: USD 77bn in 2000
- Osaka: USD 71bn in 2000
- Los Angeles: USD 60bn in 2000
- London: USD 43bn in 2000
We analyse which demographics will contribute most to that growth.
By spending tier
- Rich: 34.1% of spending in 2026, 49.4% of the spending added by 2036
- Upper middle: 15.3% of spending in 2026, 16.5% of the spending added by 2036
- Core middle: 26.4% of spending in 2026, 21.7% of the spending added by 2036
- Lower middle: 19.7% of spending in 2026, 11.9% of the spending added by 2036
- Poor: 4.4% of spending in 2026, 0.5% of the spending added by 2036
By age band
- 65 and over: 22.8% of spending in 2026, 34.0% of the spending added by 2036
- 45-65: 30.5% of spending in 2026, 29.0% of the spending added by 2036
- 30-45: 20.9% of spending in 2026, 15.9% of the spending added by 2036
- 15-30: 14.1% of spending in 2026, 13.1% of the spending added by 2036
- 0-15: 11.8% of spending in 2026, 7.9% of the spending added by 2036
We break down housing, water and energy into subcategories.
Area is spending in 2026. USD 14.37T across 14 published lines of the model.
Imputed rentals for housing
USD 7.42T · 51.6%
Actual rentals paid by tenants
USD 2.88T · 20.0%
Electricity
USD 1.21T · 8.4%
Water supply
USD 520bn · 3.6%
Gas
USD 496bn · 3.5%
Materials for home repair
USD 447bn · 3.1%
Heat energy
USD 371bn · 2.6%
Solid fuels
USD 289bn · 2.0%
USD 163bn
- Home repair servicesUSD 225bn
- Other dwelling servicesUSD 163bn
- Liquid fuelsUSD 118bn
- Refuse collectionUSD 110bn
- Other actual rentalsUSD 74bn
- Sewerage collectionUSD 63bn
Imputed rentals for housing
USD 7.42T · 51.6%
Actual rentals paid by tenants
USD 2.88T · 20.0%
Electricity
USD 1.21T · 8.4%
Water supply
USD 520bn · 3.6%
Gas
USD 496bn · 3.5%
Materials for home repair
USD 447bn · 3.1%
Heat energy
USD 371bn · 2.6%
Solid fuels
USD 289bn · 2.0%
Home repair services
USD 225bn · 1.6%
Other dwelling services
USD 163bn · 1.1%
Liquid fuels
USD 118bn · 0.8%
Refuse collection
USD 110bn · 0.8%
USD 74bn
USD 63bn
- Other actual rentalsUSD 74bn
- Sewerage collectionUSD 63bn
Five decisions a housing team can settle with this data.
01
Market entry and prioritisation
The cities holding the most housing and utilities spending today are not the ones adding it fastest. Across the forty largest markets in the model the spread runs from 2.5% a year to 7.8%, which is the difference between a market that transforms by 2036 and one that barely moves. We rank every city on the spending that is forming rather than the spending already there.
02
Pricing and affordability
Spending on housing, water and energy by rich consumers compounds at 6.54% a year, against 0.73% for the poorest. A cheaper range can hold its volume and still be defending a shrinking share of the growth, because the growth is not sitting where the volume is. We map spending power against your own price range in every market you sell in.
03
Category and portfolio strategy
Inside the category, solid fuels compounds at 5.41% a year while sewerage collection manages 4.02%. Those are two different shelf decisions inside one category averaging 4.89%, and the average is what most portfolio reviews are still built on.
04
Segmentation and targeting
Spending on housing, water and energy by the over-65s compounds at 6.69% a year, against 3.52% for the under-15s. In New York City the over-65s already hold 20% of the category. A pipeline aimed at the wrong life stage is chasing the slower half of the market, and the gap widens every year to 2036.
05
Demand forecasting and sizing
The category adds $8.79 trillion between 2026 and 2036, and none of it arrives evenly. A capacity decision taken now rests on the market that will exist in ten years rather than the one visible today. We project every market and every year to 2050.
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