The percentage of homeownership in Saudi Arabia relative to the general population is 63%, according to figures stated by the Saudi General Authority for Statistics Demographic Research Bulletin (pdf) published last Monday — a figure which has come under critical scrutiny by industry representatives, economists and residents, the Saudi Gazette reported on Sunday.

The figures in the report “do not reflect the reality of Saudis who still struggle to secure a home,“ according to an unnamed source speaking to the newspaper, who suggested that houses in villages and deserted areas were being counted in the survey.

The kingdom is currently experiencing a housing crisis, according to the head of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Pricing Committee, Abdullah Al Ahmary, a crisis with which the Ministry of Housing has been dealing with for years. He also suggested that the fact that 45% of Saudis own several houses may have led to flaws in the statistics presented in the report.