Welcome to the Visegrád Housing and Financial Literacy Data Portal

Reliable policy recommendations require reliable data. Yet in many areas of housing, household finance, and financial literacy, comparable and accessible data remain surprisingly scarce. Researchers, policymakers, financial institutions, and citizens often face the same challenge: important concepts are difficult to define, measure, and compare across countries.

 Housing affordability is a good example. At first glance, affordability appears to be a straightforward question of income and house prices. In reality, it is far more complex. What constitutes an affordable home? How large should it be? What amenities should it include? How should rooms be counted when different countries follow different conventions? In some countries, a kitchen is considered a room; in others, it is not. Open-plan living spaces further blur these distinctions. Housing quality, accessibility, energy efficiency, and suitability for different stages of life also matter.

Demographic change adds another layer of complexity. Housing that is suitable for young adults may not meet the needs of older residents. Across Central and Eastern Europe, many dwellings built during the socialist era were designed according to standards that often fall short of contemporary accessibility requirements. Features such as small bathrooms, narrow doorways, or traditional bathtubs may create challenges for aging populations and individuals with mobility limitations. As societies age, housing adequacy becomes just as important as housing affordability.

Our objective is not to provide definitive answers to these complex questions, but rather to improve transparency and support informed discussion. Through this portal, we make available housing-related data, indicators, and methodological documentation collected across the four Visegrád countries—Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Wherever possible, we explain how the data were collected, harmonized, and used in our research.

 Financial literacy presents similar challenges. Cross-country comparisons are often limited by differences in survey methodologies, institutional environments, and financial systems. Slovakia's adoption of the euro, for example, has frequently led to its exclusion from studies covering the non-euro Visegrád countries, making comprehensive regional comparisons difficult.

Finally, housing policy cannot be understood without considering the fiscal environment. Taxes, subsidies, incentives, and government support programs significantly influence housing investment, homeownership decisions, and wealth accumulation. For this reason, we also provide a comprehensive database of housing-related fiscal measures, including subsidies, tax incentives, and other policy instruments relevant to housing investment and wealth preservation.