Construction volume down by 6% last year
According to the preliminary data of Statistics Estonia, in 2024, the total production value of Estonian construction enterprises in Estonia and abroad decreased by 6% compared with 2023. Considering only the domestic market, the fall in construction volume last year was 7%.
The production value of Estonian construction enterprises in 2024 was 3.9 billion euros, including 2.4 billion euros’ worth of building construction and 1.5 billion euros’ worth of civil engineering. Compared with 2023, the volume of building construction fell by 9% and the volume of civil engineering works (roads, bridges, port facilities, pipelines, communication and electricity lines, sports fields, etc.) by 2%.
Merike Sinisaar, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, pointed out that construction volumes decreased for the third year in a row. “The downturn in the domestic construction market is mainly due to the decreased volume of building construction. The construction of buildings has been in decline since the second quarter of 2022, while the volume of civil engineering began falling in the second half of 2024,” Sinisaar noted.
The construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises operating abroad increased by 5% in 2024 compared with 2023. “Construction volumes abroad are also mainly influenced by building construction. Construction in foreign countries accounted for 7% of the total construction volume last year,” added Sinisaar.
According to the Register of Construction Works, 5,815 new dwellings were completed in 2024 – this is almost a third less than in 2023. The majority of the new dwellings were in blocks of flats, and the most popular type of these buildings was again a block of flats with 3–5 storeys. Four-room dwellings were the most common type of newly completed dwellings, followed by two- and three-room dwellings. The average floor area of new dwellings was 93 m2. Most of the completed dwellings are in Tallinn, followed by the rural municipalities in the vicinity of Tallinn, and Tartu county.
The demand for new dwellings continued to decline for the fourth year running. In 2024, building permits were issued for the construction of 4,973 dwellings, which is a tenth less than the year before. A block of flats remains the most popular type of residential building.
Last year, the number of completed non-residential buildings was 1,108 with a useful floor area of 832,500 m2. New storage, industrial, and commercial premises accounted for the biggest share of non-residential building construction. Compared with 2023, there was an increase in both the useful floor area and the volume of completed non-residential buildings.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, the total production value of Estonian construction enterprises was 1.1 billion euros, which is 4% less than in the fourth quarter of 2023. The volume of building construction was down by 5% and the volume of civil engineering works by 3%.
Statistics Estonia collects and analyses data to produce construction statistics as commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, in order to understand how the Estonian economy is doing.
See also the construction section on our website. More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.
When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.
For further information:
Heidi Kukk
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 625 9181
press [at] stat.ee (press[at]stat[dot]ee)