29 photos of tiny living spaces show how overcrowded and unaffordable the world has become

As populations around the world grow rapidly and rents rise, some cities such as Hong Kong and San Francisco have seen a surge in the construction of tiny, more affordable apartments, according to Insider.

Some units are smaller than 200 square feet, earning them the nicknames "coffin homes," "mosquito units," and "gnat flats," The Associated Press reported.

And some living quarters are even smaller, like Hong Kong's 15-square-foot cage bed cubicles.

According to Bloomberg, some apartments in Hong Kong are smaller than parking spaces but cost almost half as much as a home.

As Reuters reported, this family's monthly rent in 2015 was around $487 for this 60-square-foot, sub-divided apartment in Hong Kong.

This flat in Hong Kong is considered to be a micro-sized upscale apartment, though it has drawn online ridicule, according to The Associated Press.

Critics of micro apartments say the small living spaces are widening inequality and promoting unfair living conditions.

Cheung Chi-Fong, 80, cannot even stretch out his legs while he sleeps in his tiny apartment in Hong Kong, according to The Associated Press.

The homeowner of this "cubicle flat" has managed to fit a shrine, fridge, and bed into his tiny space, according to Getty.

The idea for the OPod tube house is to create affordable housing inside giant concrete drainage pipes, according to James Law's website. Architect James Law designed the tiny house around the pipe's circular design.

According to The Associated Press, Taiyo Akagi's 108-square-foot room cost him about $300 a month in 1998.

Often, tourists and civilians completely miss these spaces because of how small they are, photographer Thanh Nguyen reported for Getty.

The cramped conditions are ideally viewed as temporary before getting into graduate school, Getty reported.

Dai Haifei gained popularity in 2010 when he lived for months in the egg-shaped house near his office in Beijing, Reuters reported.

In Silivri, Istanbul, tiny homes saw a resurgence in popularity as people and families searched for affordable vacation rentals in nature during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Gulf Today.

Originally opened in Warsaw as an artistic installation by architect Jakub Szczesny, the building is 36 inches wide at its narrowest point, according to the Times of Israel.

Israeli writer Etgar Keret used the tiny apartment as his home when he visited Warsaw up until 2016, the Times of Israel reported.

The couple decided to sell Heijmans' house during the pandemic and live tiny in a yurt on farmlands in south Netherlands to reduce costs and live more freely, according to Getty.

Many small homes have lofted beds to save space.

Two containers have been converted into tiny homes for students and people experiencing homelessness in Kiel, Germany, so far, Getty reports.

According to Kiel University's International Center, affordable housing is difficult to find in the north German city, with about 1,000 students on a dormitory waiting list, Die Tageszeitung reported.

This building is able to fit 153 one-bedroom apartments for students studying in Berlin, Germany, according to the technology park Berlin Adlershof.

The minimalist style is very popular in the tiny home community, and everything is meant to be easily hidden, including the bathroom, according to Getty.

In the US, tiny homes have become a potential solution for providing homes to people experiencing homelessness.

In October, one of the country's largest tiny home villages opened in Los Angeles, California, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. The Arroyo Seco Tiny Home Village has 117 units and 224 non-congregate beds for people, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

The roughly 450-square-foot apartments house more than 100 low-income elderly residents, the majority of whom are Korean, according to Getty.

The historical Shaffer Cottages were restored to house four different tenants, with each living unit no bigger than 500 square feet, according to The Orange County Register

While California faces a state-wide housing crisis, the Press Telegram reported, these rentals start at $1,775 a month, according to Shaffer Cottages' Facebook page.

Fourteen-year-old Jay Segal plays with her dog in a tiny loft her father, Todd Segal, built, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Segal is a contractor who completely refitted the family's 625-square-foot home in Highland Park, California. The home isn't much bigger than a one-bedroom apartment, and it has one bedroom, one bathroom, and an open living-dining-kitchen area, the Los Angeles Times reports. And Segal's goal with the renovation was to make it feel bigger than it actually was.

The small modular home was installed in the parking lot of the Madison Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate what alternative and innovative housing can look like in a busy city like Los Angeles, where low-income families and people experiencing homelessness need more affordable housing, according to the Healthy Housing Foundation.

Kris King can stand in his kitchen, closet, and bedroom all at once.

His apartment is about the same size as a large parking spot, according to The Associated Press.

The resident of this 200-square-foot apartment said this was an affordable way to live inside the city center for under $1,200, according to Reuters.

Greg Cantori told the Chicago Tribune that he placed the tiny house on a trailer, so he can easily tow it and bring it on the road while he and his wife travel.

The interior of this SCADpad "North America" was on display during a micro-housing event in Atlanta, according to Next City. The majority of the walls are windows, which help to make the apartment feel a lot larger than it actually is, Next City reported.

The apartment makes use of the tiny space, utilizing functional storage compartments and an innovative lofted bed, Apartment Therapy reports.

New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live, according to Thrillist.