Most housing in Dakar is like that of a European city. Elsewhere, housing ranges from European-type structures to the circular mud huts with thatched roofs common in villages.
Since World War II, the growth of Dakar and other towns has been rapid, with government activity largely concentrated on improvement of urban housing and sanitation. Low-cost housing is being erected in Dakar by the Office of Moderate-Rent Housing, but the pace slowed in the 1970s because of the economic strain caused by poor peanut crops. Only 43% of Senegal's population was estimated to have access to safe water in 1983. According to the latest available information for 1980–88, the total housing stock numbered 1,350,000 with 4.9 people per dwelling.
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