Construction volume increased in 2017

The production value of building construction was 1.6 billion euros and the production of civil engineering works totalled 846 million euros. Compared to 2016, the volume of building construction increased 14% and the volume of civil engineering more than a fourth.

Building construction contributed the most to the growth of the domestic construction market. Compared to 2016, construction volume increased in new building construction as well as in repair and reconstruction work. The growth was supported also by civil engineering, which resumed growth at the beginning of last year.

The construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises in foreign countries decreased 21% compared to 2016. The construction of buildings as well as civil engineering decreased. Construction volumes in foreign countries accounted for 8% of the total volume of construction in 2017 (11% in 2016).

New dwelling construction continued its growth trend for the sixth year. According to the data of the Register of Construction Works, in 2017, the number of dwelling completions was 5,890, which is 1,158 dwellings more than the year before. As in previous years, the largest share of completed dwellings was in blocks of flats situated in Tallinn, in the vicinity of Tallinn and in Tartu county. The majority of completed dwellings had two or four rooms. The floor area of completed dwellings was 92 square metres on average.

There is still demand for new high-quality dwellings in a good location. In 2017, building permits were granted for the construction of 7,877 dwellings, which is about a third more than in 2016. The most popular type of residential building was a block of flats.

In 2017, the number of completed non-residential buildings was 1,251, with a useful floor area of 804,000 square metres – these were primarily new storage and industrial premises and offices. Compared to 2016, the useful floor area as well as the cubic capacity of completed non-residential buildings increased.

In the 4th quarter of 2017, the production value of construction amounted to 680 million euros, which was 16% more than in the 4th quarter of 2016. The volumes of building construction as well as civil engineering increased.

The statistics are based on the questionnaire “Economic activity, quarter”, the submission date of which was 21 January 2018. Statistics Estonia published the quarterly summary in 25 working days. For the statistical activity “Financial statistics of enterprises (quarterly)”, 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.