China sits on over a quarter of the world's residential property wealth. Yet spread across its enormous population, that translates to the lowest housing wealth per person in the top 10, at around $52,000 (£38k).

The market's fortunes turned decidedly sour in 2021, when tighter debt rules exposed heavily leveraged developers and tipped the sector into a prolonged slump. Despite hundreds of government 'rescue' policies, new construction, prices and sales have continued to slide, even in Beijing and Shanghai, leaving the outlook for 2026 firmly downbeat.

Now take a look inside the world's most luxurious penthouses

The 10 countries with the most valuable residential property markets