ABSTRACT
Housing in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) is the concern of the state. According to its ideological self-understanding as well as by law the state has to take the responsibility for housing needs and the housing standard of its subjects. Seen quantitatively, the supply of dwellings for the population of the GDR does not look bad. On 31 December 1981, the time of the last census, there were 6,569,000 dwellings (in dwelling-houses) occupied by subjects of the GDR for dwelling purposes. At this time the total population of the GDR numbered 16,705,635 persons, living in 6,509,932 households, with 1,728,691 one-person households. Accordingly, the ratio was 393 dwellings per 1,000 persons. An intermediate census took place in 1985. The results are not available in detail. But on this basis all dwellings used for non-dwelling purposes were excluded from the official figures which read for 1986 as follows (see Statistical Pocket Book, 1987, p. 63): 6,910,720 dwellings for 16,639,877 persons, resulting in a ratio of 415 dwellings per 1,000 persons.
