South Africa has come in as the country with the third-highest penetration of smart homes.
Worldwide, household penetration is predicted to reach 33,2% by 2028 up from 18,9% in 2024, according to Statista. But some countries are already actively embracing smart home properties and smart devices?
Compare the Market created an index by analysing worldwide property listings and relevant smart home search terms:
| Rank | Country | Smart homes (%) | Automated homes (%) | Security listings (%) | Alarm listings (%) | Camera listing (%) | Total index score |
| 1 | Turkey | 5.17 | 0.08 | 31.49 | 4.04 | 4.77 | 2.582 |
| 2 | Hungary | 5.09 | 0.00 | 10.19 | 10.65 | 3.24 | 2.368 |
| 3 | South Africa | 0.34 | 4.49 | 25.25 | 11.94 | 0.90 | 2.234 |
| 4 | Belgium | 0.00 | 3.45 | 25.86 | 17.24 | 0.00 | 2.063 |
| 5 | Australia | 0.36 | 0.86 | 40.04 | 7.78 | 1.26 | 1.432 |
| 6 | Costa Rica | 0.00 | 0.00 | 52.42 | 11.29 | 0.81 | 1.423 |
| 7 | Egypt | 1.79 | 0.00 | 24.40 | 0.00 | 3.57 | 1.363 |
| 8 | Greece | 3.19 | 0.34 | 9.58 | 7.97 | 0.07 | 1.262 |
| 9 | Ireland | 0.60 | 0.40 | 5.44 | 14.52 | 0.00 | 1.107 |
| 10 | Mauritius | 0.00 | 0.79 | 16.54 | 7.09 | 1.57 | 1.105 |
Taking the top spot is Türkiye with a total index score of 2.582 largely thanks to having the highest percentage of smart homes out of the top 10 at one in every 20 homes (5,17%).
Not far behind with a score of 2.368 is Hungary, which narrowly missed out on having the largest percentage of smart homes at 5,09%, with one in 10 listings (10,69%) being pre-fitted with alarms.
Coming in third is South Africa, where there may not be the largest number of smart homes, but the country does have the highest percentage of automated homes (4,49%).
Rounding out the top five is Belgium in fourth, where automated homes are also popular (3,45%), followed by Australia in fifth place, with a whopping 40,04% of security listings.
Adrian Taylor, Compare the Market’s GM of General Insurance, says: “As evidenced by the research, smart homes and their relevant devices are on the rise. Being able to automate your home and having interconnectivity is something homeowners are really beginning to prioritise more and more.
“Smart home security and cameras can also be useful if you ever need to make a claim on your home and contents insurance policy for theft or damage to your property. Some insurers may also offer a discount if you have certain features, such as external alarms or biometric locks, so we recommend comparing your options to search for a policy that suits your personal circumstances.”