Construction volumes stayed on the level of the previous year in the 3rd quarter

In the 3rd quarter of 2016, the production value of construction enterprises amounted to 612 million euros, of which the production value of building construction was 398 million euros and the production value of civil engineering was 214 million euros. Compared to the 3rd quarter of 2015, the volume of building construction increased 8% and the volume of civil engineering decreased 11%.

The domestic construction market is still influenced the most by a fall in civil engineering volumes. There was also decrease in repair and reconstruction work in building construction. At the same time, new building construction continued to grow.

The construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises in foreign countries increased 1.4% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2015, influenced mainly by the construction of buildings. Construction volumes in foreign countries accounted for 13% of the total volume of construction in the 3rd quarter of 2016.

According to the Register of Construction Works, in the 3rd quarter of 2016, dwelling completions numbered 1,061, i.e. 84 dwellings more than in the same period a year ago. More than a half of the completed dwellings were situated in blocks of flats. The majority of completed dwellings were situated in Tallinn and in the rural municipalities in the vicinity of Tallinn.

There is still a demand for new high-quality dwellings in a good location. In the 3rd quarter of 2016, building permits were granted for the construction of 1,485 dwellings, which is slightly fewer than in the 3rd quarter a year ago. The most popular type of building was a block of flats.

The number of completed non-residential buildings was 216 with a useful floor area of 194,000 square metres – this consisted primarily of new commercial, industrial and storage premises. Compared to the 3rd quarter of 2015, both the useful floor area and the volume of completed non-residential buildings increased.

The statistics are based on the questionnaire “Economic activity, quarter”, the submission date of which was 20 October 2016. Statistics Estonia published the quarterly summary in 27 working days. For the statistical activity “Financial statistics of enterprises”, the main representative of public interest is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data necessary for conducting the statistical activity.