Construction volume down by 4% in the second quarter
According to Statistics Estonia, in the second quarter of 2024, the total production value of Estonian construction enterprises in Estonia and abroad decreased by 4% compared with the second quarter of 2023. On the domestic construction market, volume fell by 3%.
The total production value of construction enterprises was €994 million, including €602 million worth of building construction and €392 million worth of civil engineering. Compared with the second quarter of 2023, the volume of building construction decreased by nearly a tenth, whereas the volume of civil engineering works (roads, bridges, port facilities, pipelines, communication and electricity lines, sports fields, etc.) increased by 2%.
Merike Sinisaar, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, pointed out that once again the domestic construction market was mainly affected by the decreased volume of building construction. “There was a decline both in new building construction and in the volume of repair and reconstruction works. The volume of civil engineering remained practically at the same level as last year (up by 1%),” Sinisaar added.
The construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises operating abroad fell by 16% compared with the second quarter of the previous year. The decline in volumes there is also mainly due to the decreased volume of building construction. Construction in foreign countries accounted for 7% of the total construction volume, down from 8% in 2023.
According to the Register of Construction Works, 1,221 new dwellings were completed, which is 42% fewer than in the second quarter the year before. “Although the majority of the completed dwellings are still in blocks of flats, the share of detached houses has increased from quarter to quarter. The largest number of completed dwellings was located in the rural municipalities in the vicinity of Tallinn,” said Sinisaar.
Building permits were issued for the construction of 1,641 dwellings, nearly twice as many as a year earlier. A block of flats remains the most popular type of residential building.
The number of completed non-residential buildings was 251, with a useful floor area of 193,500 m2. New storage, industrial, and commercial premises accounted for the biggest share of non-residential building construction. Compared with the second quarter of 2023, there was an increase in both the useful floor area and the volume of completed non-residential buildings.
Statistics Estonia collects and analyses data to produce the quarterly economic indicators of enterprises. The statistical activity is 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)