Building permits

1.1. Contact organisation

Statistics Finland

1.2. Contact organisation unit

Social Statistics Department

1.3. Contact name

Confidential because of GDPR

1.4. Contact person function

Confidential because of GDPR

1.5. Contact mail address

PO Box 3B, FI-00022 Statistics Finland

1.6. Contact email address

Confidential because of GDPR

1.7. Contact phone number

Confidential because of GDPR

1.8. Contact fax number

Confidential because of GDPR

2.1. Metadata last certified

10 June 2025

2.2. Metadata last posted

10 June 2025

2.3. Metadata last update

10 June 2025

3.1. Data description

Building permits granted by municipal authority. Indicators:

• Number of dwellings (PNUM): New dwellings in residential buildings
• Square metres of useful floor area (PSQM): Building permits for residential and non-residential buildings

3.2. Classification system

Data are transmitted to Eurostat based on Statistical Classification of Products by Activity (CPA). National statistics is produced using the Classification of Buildings 2018.

3.3. Coverage - sector

Activities covered: building construction, new buildings (Annex B of the STS Regulation, variables 411 and 412). Some small buildings, which can be built without building permit, are excluded.

3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions

Building permit: A building permit is a licence to build which is issued in accordance with the Building Act and is granted by the municipal building control. A notification must be made of all building projects subject to a building permit, and statistics are compiled from the information in these notifications.

New dwellings: New dwelling units used for permanent residence in residential buildings.

Useful floor area: The gross floor area of a building comprises the floor areas of the different storeys and the area of attic or basement storeys in which there are dwelling or working rooms or other space conforming to the principal intended use of the building.

3.5. Statistical unit

Reporting unit: The reporting unit is the principal of the building project. Building permits are granted by municipal authortities.

Observation unit: All new buildings, extensions to buildings and alterations comparable to new construction.

3.6. Statistical population

The population consists of construction actions (new buildings, extensions to buildings and alterations comparable to new construction) that require a building permit granted by a municipal authority.

• Number of dwellings: CPA codes (new dwellings in residential buildings only)
• Square metres of useful floor: CPA codes (residential and non-residential buildings only)

3.7. Reference area

Geographical area covered: the whole country (309 municipalities in 2024).

3.8. Coverage - Time

Data are trasmitted to Eurostat from 2000 on. National data is published from 1995.

3.9. Base period

Not relevant (data provided in absolute figures).

Absolute values. Number of dwellings (PNUM) and square meters of useful floor area (PSQM).

Month

6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements

Responsibility for collecting, processing, and disseminating statistics

The Statistics Act (280/04) is the general act for the National Statistical Service (NSS). It contains the principles for the data collection, processing, and dissemination of official statistics. The act defines the roles of statistical authorities (Statistics Finland, Customs, National Institute for  Health and Welfare, and Tike, Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) and other authorities producing statistics. The Statistics Finland Act (48/1992)  states that Statistics Finland (SF) shall provide for the general development of official statistics in collaboration with other central government authorities.

The aim of the NSS is to produce official statistics, Official Statistics of Finland (OSF). European law (especially the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European statistics (EC) No 2019/2152) applies to a large portion of OSF.

Ensuring statistical reporting The Statistics Act requires that the primarily exploited sources for statistical purposes shall be the data accumulated in the administration of general government and the data produced as a consequence of the normal activities of employers, self-employed persons, corporations, and foundations. SF has the right to have access to these data under the Statistics Act. In addition, all public and private entities in Finland are obliged to provide SF with data on their finances, products and staff as necessary for the production of statistics. The right of SF to collect data by virtue of the obligation does not extend, however, to data that are kept confidential for reasons of international relationships, public safety, the interest of national defence, or the safety of the state. Before any data collection based on the obligation, the statistical authority must consult the respondents or their representatives about the contents, timing, collection methods, duration of storing of the data as well as about costs. Besides those data obtained directly from administrative sources data from natural persons are always collected on voluntary basis by using interviewing or mail and web surveys. In addition, the interviewees must be informed in advance in a written form. The Statistics Act stipulates that a data provider who willfully fails to provide the obligatory data or willfully provides false data shall be sentenced to a fine. Nevertheless, SF is allowed to refrain from bringing charges if the violation is regarded as minor, but in practice charges have not been filed.

6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing

Data sharing and coordination among data producing agencies According to the Statistics Act, data obtained by four statistical authorities may be released to other parties either if permitted by legal provisions explicitly concerning the NSS, or upon express consent of the subject of the data. As far as statistical authorities are concerned they are allowed to transmit confidential data with identifiers to each other if it is deemed necessary for the production of statistics. The same applies to the European Statistical System authorities (ESS Authorities). Co-ordination among data-producing agencies is normal practice at both specialist and top level. Data is delivered only to Eurostat.

7.1. Confidentiality - policy

Confidentiality of individual reporters' data Several legal acts guarantee that individual data should be kept confidential. According to the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999) data collected for statistical purposes are confidential. The rule is not applied to the publicity of data describing the activities of central and local government authorities and production of public services or to certain data in the Register of Enterprises and Establishments.

Under the Statistics Act, statistics shall be compiled so that the respondents whom they concern are not directly or indirectly identifiable. Violation of the secrecy obligation is punishable under the Penal Code. At the EU level, similar assurances are included in Council Regulation (EC) No 223/2009.

Details regarding the protection of information on private individuals are laid down in the Finnish Personal Data Act (523/1999). The Statistics Act obliges statistics-producing authorities to inform respondents in writing or in other appropriate manner about the intended use of the data, the procedures to be used in producing the statistics, the principles governing whether the provision of data is obligatory or voluntary, the rights of the respondents, the arrangements for protecting the data, and the duration the data will be stored. The Statistics Act allows a statistical authority to grant access to confidential data for use in scientific research or statistical surveys if statistical units cannot be identified directly from them. The right to use data may be given in compliance with a well-defined process including a written application.

SF has implemented procedures to prevent disclosure of any individual data provider. It has published guidelines on how to apply the Statistics Act and the Personal Data Act, as well as guidelines on the protection of tabulated data on enterprises and individual persons. A section on data protection is included in the SF publication Quality Guidelines for Official Statistics. Micro data concerning individual persons released for scientific research are first edited to remove variables that would make it possible to directlyidentify individual persons such as name, address or personal identification number. Similar procedures are used with respect to sensitive information about units other than individual persons. 

7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment

Data is not confidential at the classification level used in the publication.

8.1. Release calendar

Release schedule for the coming year, specifying precise dates of national release, is published on the website of Statistics Finland in December.

8.2. Release calendar access

The future releases are available on the website of Statistics Finland.

8.3. Release policy - user access

The  key monthly and quarterly results  are released simultaneously to all interested parties on predefined days on the home page of the Building and dwelling production statistics. According to the Act on the Openness of Government Activities, statistical data considered as sensitive information may not be disclosed to a third party prior to their publication.

Commenting on erroneous interpretation and misuse of statistics SF operates along the lines of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. SF has issued guidelines on how to respond to misuse of statistics. If erroneous interpretation or misuse of statistics is detected, contact is established to explain the issue. Concerning errors in the media, the DG may write a letter to the editor-in-chief.

Transmissions to Eurostat: Building permits (number of dwellings and square metres of useful floor area) monthly.

National dissemination: Building permits monthly.

10.1. Dissemination format - News release

Not applicable.

10.2. Dissemination format - Publications

A monthly publication is made available to the media and the public free of charge on the website of the Building and dwelling production statistics.

10.3. Dissemination format - online database

Figures are published in the StatFin-database of Statistics Finland in table Building and dwelling production.

10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access

Statistics Finland's Research services offer unit-level data, i.e. microdata, for scientific studies and statistical surveys. The conditions and rules with respect to data access can be found on the home page of the Reasearch services.

10.5. Dissemination format - other

Dissemination on request. Tailored tables and data files are provided for a fee.

Transmissions to Eurostat on monthly basis.

10.6. Documentation on methodology

Documentation of the statistics on Building and dwelling production including scope, consepts, source data, methodology and and quality despription is available on the website of Statistics Finland. Advance notice is given to the public when major changes are introduced in methodology, sources, and statistical techniques.

10.7. Quality management - documentation

Not available.

11.1. Quality assurance

Quality policy

The main lines of quality management at SF are defined in the handbook Quality Guidelines for Official Statistics. There is also a group for the management of quality and processes at SF. The group reports to the DG. Statistical Methods unit takes care of methodology for quality assurance e.g. in sampling and editing-imputation process. SF develops its activities according to the Total Quality Management principles. It has been influenced by, among other things, the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model, the United Nations’ Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and Handbook of Statistical Organization, as well as the European Statistics Code of Practice. The quality criteria of OSF are harmonised with the respective criteria of the European Statistical System.

Impartiality of statistics

Section 11 of the Finnish Statistics Act contains the requirement that statistics should be as reliable as possible, give a truthful picture, and make use,if possible, of uniform concepts, definitions, and classifications, as well as be timely. Similar provisions can be found in EU legislation. The Statistics Act, the Statistics Finland Act, and the Council of State Decree on Statistics Finland (1063/2002) and several other legal provisions support SF’s professional independence:

• Section 3 of the Statistics Finland Act decrees that the internal organisation of SF is defined in internal Rules of Procedure which are decided by SF’s Director General (DG)
• Section 1 of the Council of State Decree on SF gives the DG the right to manage the activities and finances of SF
• Section 5 of the Council of State Decree lays down that the DG shall be appointed by the Council of State for a fixed term. The nomination is made after open competition. The Decree also gives the DG the right to appoint the staff of SF, including directors of the departments as well as other staff members unless the decision-power has been delegated in the Rules of Procedure to some other official of SF
• Section 10 of the Statistics Act provides that data processing shall take place in accordance with good statistical practice and the international recommendations and procedures generally applied in the field of statistics.

Selection of sources, methodology, and modes of dissemination

The selection of sources, methodology and modes of dissemination of SF statistics are decided by SF alone. According to the Statistics Act, the choice of data sources, statistical techniques, and methods of dissemination should be based on statistical considerations (Sections 3, 10, 11, and 12). There are also responsibilities regarding cost-efficiency and the response burden of data collections (Section 4).

11.2. Quality management - assessment

The top management of SF has made several self-assessments in line with the EFQM model. There have also been external audits by e.g. the EU and IMF experts. Processes are in place to monitor the quality of the statistical process and the processes of individual statistics. Quality considerations are an integral part of the planning and evaluation of the statistical programme.

The process owner of statistical production and it’s supporting group monitor the quality and steer the standardisation of work processes.

12.1. Relevance - User Needs

Co-operation between SF and important users with regard to the relevance of statistics and the users’ needs consists of an extensive feedback system and co-operative working groups with the main users, such as users of national accounts. There are regular meetings of SF directors and experts with the users, even at the senior management level. Users are usually also invited to participate in discussions concerning the establishment of new statistics or revisions of existing ones.

The users are mainly experts in construction industry, market analysts in building area and other organisations attending the building and construction area.

12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction

There are specific feedback systems for receiving the users’ opinions at SF. These systems consist of an anonymous feedback channel on the web, media monitoring, surveys among different user groups for the evaluation SF’s performance, user surveys, and a system for collecting and disseminating information that is strategically important for SF. Specific statistical products conduct their own user surveys and keep in regular contact with their main interest groups. The users are statisfied with building permits indicators.

12.3. Completeness

Building and dwelling production data meet the requirements given by EU’s Council Regulation (EC) No 1165/98.

13.1. Accuracy - overall

The statistics on building and dwelling production are based on the notifications submitted by municipal building supervision authorities to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency about building projects subject to building permits and their building stages. Because of the slow accumulation of the data the preliminary figures revise for next couple of months.

13.2. Sampling error

Not applicable.

13.3. Non-sampling error

The first indicator is sent to Eurostat about 11 weeks after the end of the reference period. The response rate reaches near 100% 5-6 months after the reference month.

The data reported by municipalities to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency accumulates at a delay and the statistics for the newest months are always based on incomplete data. At the time of the first release, around 80 per cent of the data are available. Statistics Finland updates the time series as far back in history as data become available for the statistics.

The slow accumulation can cause some bias in the first estimates. There is no method to estimate the missing data.

14.1. Timeliness

The national data is published about 7 weeks after the reference month. The data is transmitted to Eurostat for the first time 11 weeks after the reference month. The schedule is fixed in advance for a year. The data is revised each month. The time series are updated as far back in history as data become available for the statistics.

14.2. Punctuality

Deadlines are well respected. All releases for the latest year were delivered on time.

15.1. Comparability - geographical

European definitions are used and therefore the results are internationally comparable. The whole country is covered.

15.2. Comparability - over time

Comparable time series are available since the year 1995.

15.3. Coherence - cross domain

Comparisons to other relevant sources, such as the annual data of the statistics on dwellings and housing conditions, are made seldom.

15.4. Coherence - internal

Data are internally coherent, aggregates are always consistent with their sub-aggregates.

Cost: Production of building permits data requires approximately 800 person-hours. The number includes both Eurostat requirements and national requirements.

Burden: Due to register data being collected by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, there is no knowledge of the burden on respondents.

17.1. Data revision - policy

Figures are revised according to changes in the source data and errors corrected. The same revision policy is applied nationally and in transmissions to Eurostat. There is no vintage database available in Statistics Finland publication system. There is no revision calender in the statistics and no benchmarking is carried out. The main reason for revisions is the increasing completeness of the data.

17.2. Data revision - practice

The first indicator trasmitted to Eurostat is compiled 11 weeks after the end of the reference period. Due to the slow accumulation of the register data the figures are revised every month as far back in history as data become available for the statistics. Revised figures are published monthly according to the changes in data, but not announced as such. Methodological changes, errors in the newest release and the outstandingly significant revisions are announced at the time of change. Errors are corrected immediately.

Basic monthly follow-up revisions for Building and dwelling production data are available for public in a database table Revision of annual changes in granted building permits. The more detailed revisions are produced for Eurostat only and are not published as part of the national official statistics.

Below is presented the revision indicators calculated of PNUM and PSQM indicators. PSQM and PNUM indicators are calculated for the period 1/2022 - 12/2024.

CPA_F41001X410014 (PNUM)

• MAR = 4.7
• RMAR = 0.1
• MR = 4.3

CPA_F41001X410014 (PSQM)

• MAR = 4.3
• RMAR = 0.1
• MR = 4.2

CPA_F410011 (PNUM)

• MAR = 4.9
• RMAR = 0.2
• MR = 4.9

CPA_F410011 (PSQM)

• MAR = 4.9
• RMAR = 0.2
• MR = 4.9

CPA_F410012_410013 (PNUM)

• MAR = 4.8
• RMAR = 0.2
• MR = 4.2

CPA_F410012_410013 (PSQM)

• MAR = 4.4
• RMAR = 0.1
• MR = 4.0

CPA_F410014 (PSQM)

• MAR = 99.4
• RMAR = 0.3
• MR = 39.8

CPA_F41002 (PSQM)

• MAR = 10.3
• RMAR = 0.4
• MR = 10.1

CPA_F41002X410023 (PSQM)

• MAR = 10.2
• RMAR = 0.4
• MR = 10.1

CPA_F410023 (PSQM)

• MAR = 69.7
• RMAR = 0.1
• MR = 24.9

18.1. Source data

Administrative source data, which is basically a census. In Finland all new building construction is subject to building permit. Municipal authorities follow and collect information about the building project and its progress. The statistics on building and dwelling production are based on the notifications submitted by municipal building supervision authorities to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency about building projects subject to building permit and their building stages.

18.2. Frequency of data collection

Weekly. The data includes notifications about building projects submitted to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency during the previous week.

18.3. Data collection

The data is delivered from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency to Statistics Finland every week in a txt-file format.

18.4. Data validation

The most large-scale observations are validated manually. Results are compared with earlier periods. Data transmitted to Eurostat are compared with the national data. Technical validation is done before sending the files to Eurostat.

It is not possible to follow the completeness of data collection.

18.5. Data compilation

No special method is used, the absolute figures are published. The most large-scale observations are manually checked, and some automatic editing rules are applied.

18.6. Adjustment

The time series are calendar and seasonally adjusted, using the TRAMO/SEATS method in JDemetra+2.2.2. These are produced for Eurostat only and are not published as part of the national official statistics. A Reg-Arima approach is used for seasonal adjustment. Revisions are expected when new data are added to the time series, as the whole seasonally adjusted time series is recalculated. Seasonal adjustment series are estimated for 18 times series (9 PNUM +9 PSQM series) and sent to Eurostat for 12 times series (3 PNUM + 9 PSQM series). Outliers (AO, LS, TC) with automatic detection supported by additional analysis and a priori knowledge. There is no seasonal breaks in the series.

Annexes:
Metadata template FI

From 2025 on, data on building permits are published under new statistics called Building stock and new production.

Building permits granted by municipal authority. Indicators:

• Number of dwellings (PNUM): New dwellings in residential buildings
• Square metres of useful floor area (PSQM): Building permits for residential and non-residential buildings

10 June 2025

Building permit: A building permit is a licence to build which is issued in accordance with the Building Act and is granted by the municipal building control. A notification must be made of all building projects subject to a building permit, and statistics are compiled from the information in these notifications.

New dwellings: New dwelling units used for permanent residence in residential buildings.

Useful floor area: The gross floor area of a building comprises the floor areas of the different storeys and the area of attic or basement storeys in which there are dwelling or working rooms or other space conforming to the principal intended use of the building.

Reporting unit: The reporting unit is the principal of the building project. Building permits are granted by municipal authortities.

Observation unit: All new buildings, extensions to buildings and alterations comparable to new construction.

The population consists of construction actions (new buildings, extensions to buildings and alterations comparable to new construction) that require a building permit granted by a municipal authority.

• Number of dwellings: CPA codes (new dwellings in residential buildings only)
• Square metres of useful floor: CPA codes (residential and non-residential buildings only)

Geographical area covered: the whole country (309 municipalities in 2024).

Month

The statistics on building and dwelling production are based on the notifications submitted by municipal building supervision authorities to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency about building projects subject to building permits and their building stages. Because of the slow accumulation of the data the preliminary figures revise for next couple of months.

Absolute values. Number of dwellings (PNUM) and square meters of useful floor area (PSQM).

No special method is used, the absolute figures are published. The most large-scale observations are manually checked, and some automatic editing rules are applied.

Administrative source data, which is basically a census. In Finland all new building construction is subject to building permit. Municipal authorities follow and collect information about the building project and its progress. The statistics on building and dwelling production are based on the notifications submitted by municipal building supervision authorities to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency about building projects subject to building permit and their building stages.

Transmissions to Eurostat: Building permits (number of dwellings and square metres of useful floor area) monthly.

National dissemination: Building permits monthly.

The national data is published about 7 weeks after the reference month. The data is transmitted to Eurostat for the first time 11 weeks after the reference month. The schedule is fixed in advance for a year. The data is revised each month. The time series are updated as far back in history as data become available for the statistics.

European definitions are used and therefore the results are internationally comparable. The whole country is covered.

Comparable time series are available since the year 1995.