Housing costs are rising in India and Brazil, but falling in Greece and Ireland.

The majority of the world's housing markets are struggling this year, as predicted. India and Brazil have the highest price increases, while Greece and Ireland have the lowest. houses for sale

According to Global Property Guide's latest report, only one-third of the countries studied saw price increases in the first quarter, while the rest saw price declines.

The Global Property Guide has offices in Bristol, UK, and Manila, Philippines.

In 24 of the 36 countries for which quarterly house price statistics are available, prices dropped. Just 12 countries saw price increases.

Just 16 countries saw house prices decline in nominal terms throughout the year, while 20 countries saw house prices increase. However, the statistical presentation (shown on this page) of the Global Property Guide uses price adjustments after inflation. This paints a more accurate picture than the upbeat nominal figures that real estate agents favor.

Ireland's price drops have been devastating. Prices dropped 18.95 percent year over year, compared to a 13.12 percent drop in the same timeframe last year. During the most recent quarter, prices fell 5.19 percent. According to Global Property Guide, the Irish residential property market has been weighed down by tight credit conditions, an oversupply of housing, and poor domestic demand.

House-price falls accelerated alarmingly in Athens, Greece (-11.68 percent); Warsaw, Poland (-10.94 percent); Portugal (-10.45 percent); Spain (-9 percent); the Netherlands (-6.05 percent); and the Slovak Republic (-6.05 percent) (-5.89 percent ). This year's house price drops were all greater than the previous year's.

Several countries whose housing markets were either recovering or only entering a decline last year saw a substantial deterioration in their position, with price drops in Finland (-2.05%), Turkey (-2.32%), Sweden (-5.34%), and Riga, Latvia throughout the year to end Q1 2012. (-5.83 percent ).

According to Global Property Guide, any optimistic shifts in the momentum of the housing markets in other European countries were so minor that they hardly signaled a recovery. Kiev, Ukraine (-2.51 percent), Croatia (-2.45 percent), the United Kingdom (-3.14 percent), Lithuania (-3.87 percent), and Bulgaria are among these countries (-6.21 percent ).

The gloom is lifted by some healthy European markets. Prices in Estonia increased by 9.13 percent year over year. Prices in Austria increased by 8.24 percent year over year.

Switzerland (+5.49 percent), Norway (+5.43 percent), Russia (+3.86 percent), and Iceland (+2.25 percent) are among the other countries with high housing markets in the last 12 months. Gainers tend to be countries whose housing markets have either never undergone the recent decline (Austria, Switzerland, Norway) or are recovering (Switzerland, Norway) (Estonia, Russia, Iceland).

Delhi prices increased by 24.41 percent in the year to Q1 2012, though they dropped 0.07 percent in the last quarter. According to NHB Residex, prices in some other Indian cities, such as Chennai and Kolkata, have decreased year over year.

Prices in Sao Paulo rose 18.70 percent in the year to Q1 2012, but fell 2.57 percent in the most recent quarter.

Prime condominium prices in the Philippines (Makati Central Business District) increased by 7.34 percent last year. However, since the statistics are for Makati, the epicenter of the Philippines' business process outsourcing boom, they may exaggerate the increase. Prices in South Korea were up 2.67 percent from a year ago.

Thanks to government steps adopted last year, housing markets in the rest of Asia cooled in the year to Q1 2012. After rising 19.80 percent the previous year, prices in Hong Kong rose just 0.19 percent this year. Indonesia (-0.13 percent), Singapore (-1.36 percent), Tokyo, Japan (-2.64 percent), and Shanghai, China all saw price drops (-3.68 percent ).

According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) seasonally adjusted purchase-only house price index, prices in the United States increased 0.48 percent year over year, with a quarterly increase of 0.55 percent. Inflation-adjusted terms, prices in the United States were only down 2.27 percent from a year ago. However, this is an improvement over last year's price drop of 7.44 percent.

In the first quarter of 2012, house prices in Israel were down 4.94 percent year on year. Prices have been impacted by global instability as well as Israeli government and Bank of Israel behavior. The drop comes amid ongoing public outrage over high prices, which began last summer and has yet to abate.

After dropping 4.79 percent the previous year, house prices in New Zealand increased by 0.82 percent in the first quarter of 2012. For the past few months, sales have been brisk, with volumes at their peak since 2007.

Prices in Australia dropped for the fifth quarter in a row, dropping -6.04 percent from a year ago, the longest drop in a decade. Among major developed countries, the central bank has held the highest borrowing rates.