On February 12th, 2026, the Welsh Government published updated estimates of housing need. These figures replace the 2019-based estimates and draw on the latest available data, including the 2022-based household projections published in November 2025.
The 2025 based estimates identify the need for 8,700 new homes per year over the next 5 years which is not only significantly above the previous estimates but nearly double the housing completion levels in 2023/24 and 2024/25 respectively. These annual estimates are a minimum in that they don’t account for existing unmet need which unlike in the 2019 estimates is expressed as a separate standalone figure. The existing unmet need figure has increased from 5,732 in 2019 to 9,400 homes in 2026.
This insight discusses what all of this means for housing targets within future Local and Strategic Development Plans as well as the policy framework Wales requires in order to deliver the quantum of homes required to keep up with demand.
