The first REIT was launched in the United States in 1960 to give investors and individuals easy access to the commercial real estate sector. It was the US Congress that promoted this type of investment at the time. </Since then, these companies have often been sought after by investors looking for a regular and stable income over time. These investments offer many benefits. They are mostly liquid stocks with a lot of trading every day, accessible at the click of a button from an ordinary stock account, offering a source of diversification into real and tangible assets, a more stable return than most stocks in other sectors and generating long-term performance. On this last point, the FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs, the broad index of all REITs in the world, has achieved an annualized performance of more than 11% per annum over the last 30 years (1991-2021), outperforming the S&P 500 index.

These companies do not pay tax on their profits but must meet certain criteria as we have listed them below. 

To qualify as a REIT, a company must:

• be at least 75% invested in property. 
• receive a minimum of 75% of its gross income from rents and/or mortgage interest and/or the sale of property. 
• pay out at least 90% of its profits as dividends to its shareholders each year (and 100% if operating in Canada). 
• be a taxable entity like a corporation. 
• be managed by a Board of Directors or Trustees. 
• have at least 100 shareholders. 
• have no more than 50% of its shares held by five or fewer people. 

The European equivalent of REITs: SIICs

REIT must pay back 90% of total income to shareholders. 

This thematic list includes the main REITs listed worldwide and classified by market capitalization.