A photographer has captured the homes of Hong Kong residents which have been dubbed “coffin homes” and branded “an insult to human dignity” by the United Nations.

The country has been ranked the world’s least affordable housing market for seven years by the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey ranking it higher than Sydney, London and New York. Home prices have risen 370 per cent since a six year slump ended in 2003, reports Bloomberg.

According to the Associated Press, 200,000 of Hong Kong’s 7.3 million residents leave in the “subdivided units” which can comprise of one 120 ft room.

In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Show all 19 1 /19 In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong A general view of residential and commercial buildings in Yau Tsim Mong District which is a popular location for the 'subdivided units' in Hong Kong AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong A five year-old boy plays outside his tiny home, which is made of concrete and corrugated metal on the rooftop of an apartment block as he lives with his parents in an illegal rooftop dwelling AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong A resident walks outside his illegal rooftop dwelling, which is located next to a public housing estate, in the background AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Li Suet-wen and her son, 6, and daughter, 8, live in a 120-square foot room crammed with a bunk bed, small couch, fridge, washing machine and small table in Hong Kong. They're among an estimated 200,000 people in the former British colony living in 'subdivided units.' That's 18 percent more than four years ago and includes 35,500 children 15 and under, government figures show AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Hong Kong residents, who only gave their surname, Lam, top left, Wan, top right, and Kitty Au, pose at their 'coffin homes' in Hong Kong AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong A resident who only gave his surname Sin, 55, tidies up the bed in his 'coffin home' in Hong Kong AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Li Suet-wen and her son, 6, and daughter, 8, live in a 120-square foot room crammed with a bunk bed, small couch, fridge, washing machine and small table, in Hong Kong as she pays HK$4,500 ($580) a month in rent and utilities. That's nearly half the HK$10,000 ($1,290) she earns at a bakery decorating cakes. AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong An illegal rooftop hut is seen in Hong Kong AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Simon Wong, an unemployed man, watches TV in his 'coffin home' in Hong Kong AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong In wealthy Hong Kong, there's a dark side to a housing boom, with hundreds of thousands of people forced to live in partitioned shoebox apartments, 'coffin homes' and other inadequate housing AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong A bus drives past a residential and commercial building where the 'coffin homes' are located in Hong Kong. As a new leader for the territory prepares to take office, housing unaffordability remains one of the Asian financial center’s biggest social problems AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Cramped toilets and a sink for the residents of this particular 'coffin home' AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Residents who only gave their surname Yeung, left and Lui, in their "coffin home" AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Wong Tat-ming, 63, sits in his 'coffin home', which is next to a set of grimy toilets in Hong Kong as he pays HK$2,400 ($310) a month for a compartment measuring three feet by six feet AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong A resident who only gave his surname Yeung, takes a rest in his 'coffin home' in Hong Kong. In wealthy Hong Kong, there's a dark side to a housing boom, with hundreds of thousands of people forced to live in partitioned shoebox apartments AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong A resident who only gave his surname Lui, has dinner in his 'coffin home' in Hong Kong AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Cheung Chi-fong, 80, sleeps in his tiny 'coffin home' where he cannot stretch out his legs in Hong Kong AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Wong Tat-ming, 63, sits in his 'coffin home' which is crammed with all his meagre possessions, including a sleeping bag, small colour TV and electric fan. He and another elderly resident complain to a visiting social worker about bedbugs and cockroaches AP In pictures: The coffin homes of Hong Kong Tse Chu, a retired waiter, sleeps in his 'coffin home' in Hong Kong. In wealthy Hong Kong, there's a dark side to a housing boom, with hundreds of thousands of people forced to live in partitioned shoebox apartments, 'coffin homes' and other inadequate housing AP

Wong Tat-ming, 63, who is on benefits after sclerosis in his leg left him unable to drive a taxi, lives in a ‘coffin home’ which he pays HK$2,400 a month (£240). His possessions of a sleeping bag, small TV and electric fan are cramped into his three foot by six foot home. His bunk is next to toilets and a sink which are shared by up to 24 residents.

“It’s not cheap either,” he said. “Would you say it’s more expensive than living in a mansion?”

The newly appointed chief executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam has vowed to fix the housing crisis in the financial district and in her victory speech pledged to “assist Hong Kongers to attain home ownership and improve their living conditions”.

The UN has previously branded some of the homes “an insult to human dignity”, the Daily Mail reports.