As of the 1982 census, there were an estimated 582,700 housing units in Paraguay; 38.4% of all dwellings had electricity and 59.4% had toilets. As of 1998, the country continued to face serious housing shortages with a cumulative deficit of about 350,000 dwelling units. About 30% of the population live with overcrowded conditions; the average number of people per dwelling is 4.6. A majority of housing units lack basic utilities.
A government agency, the Paraguayan Housing and Urban Institute, was created in 1964 with an IBRD loan of $3.4 million to aid in the construction of living units for low-income families. In 1973, a National Housing Bank was established to finance low-income housing development.