1.1. Contact organisation
Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSB)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Business Statistical Department, Industrial and Construction Statistics Section.
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Lacplesa street, Riga, LV - 1301.
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
26 March 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
26 March 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
26 March 2025
3.1. Data description
Building permits indicators: Number of dwellings, Square meters of useful floor.
3.2. Classification system
CPA 2.1. red. Statistical Classification of Products by activity in the European Union, Version 2.1
3.3. Coverage - sector
Data on the local governments of 36 counties and 7 city councils of national significance are obtained from administrative data sources. Annual data are obtained by summing quarterly data.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Data on building permits granted allow acquiring information on building permits issued for buildings and types thereof, obtaining data on building and structure number, intended floor space in buildings under construction as well as reconstruction, renovation or restoration of existing buildings. A building permit is an authorisation to start work on a building project. As such, a permit is the final stage of planning and building authorisations from public authorities, prior to the start of work.
3.5. Statistical unit
Reporting unit - the building authority.
Observation unit - residential and non - residential buildings requiring building permits by cities under state jurisdiction and counties.
3.6. Statistical population
Within the full-scope survey data are acquired from 36 counties and 7 city councils of national significance.
3.7. Reference area
Latvia
3.8. Coverage - Time
Time series for buildings permits are available since 2000.
3.9. Base period
Not relevant.
Number and floor area (m2)
Quarter.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Official Statistics Law is the legal base of all statistics.
Rules of Cabinet of Minister of the Republic of Latvia No 645 of 14 November 2023 concerning to National Statistical Information program for the 2024-2026.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Data are transmitted, in addition to Eurostat, directly to United Nations Organisation (UNO).
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
All data provided by respondents is treated as confidential information and protected by Official Statistics Law.
The policy of data protection and dissemination has been described in Chapter III on Section 17: Data Processing and Statistical Confidentiality.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Statistical data shall be considered confidential if they directly or indirectly allow for identification of the private individuals or State authorities regarding which personal statistical data have been provided.
8.1. Release calendar
Data on building permits are published on the 40nd day after the end of the reference period according to Release calendar. Dissemination calendar is available on the CSB website.
| Theme | Reference Period | Released data |
|---|---|---|
| On construction and building permits granted | 1st quarter 2024 | 10 May 2024 |
| On construction and building permits granted | 2nd quarter 2024 | 09 August 2024 |
| On construction and building permits granted | 3rd quarter 2024 | 11 November 2024 |
| On construction and building permits granted | 4th quarter 2024 | 10 February 2025 |
8.2. Release calendar access
Dissemination calendar is available on the Official statistics portal.
8.3. Release policy - user access
The data are released simultaneously to all interested parties by issuing the press release "On construction and building permits granted" in xxx (quarter)" both to the media and to the main government officials.
Data are transmitted to Eurostat on the same day when the data are published in the national publication, 40 days after the reference period.
Quarterly and yearly.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Statistical information is published in accordance with an approved dissemination calendar and it's available on the Official statistics portal.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
The data are released simultaneously to all interested parties by issuing a press release at 13.00 o' clock of the local time. At the same time the data are also sent to subscribers by e-mail. The data set is subsequently posted on the Official statistics portal. The press release and the indicators are also published on the Internet.
The CSB publishes quarterly and annual data of the construction production index on the Internet website.
Building permits granted in "Statistical Yearbook of Latvia" - annually.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Information on permits granted are available on the Official statistics portal homepage database under section Construction and real estate.
The Official statistics portal internet database include quarterly and annual time series data for the following detailed data: new residental buildings completed, new dwellings completed, building permits granted for building (number and volume of envisaged capacity).
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not available.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Data are sent to Eurostat both to be used in European aggregates as well as to be released as national data. Data are available on the Eurostat database in section Industry, trade and services/Short - term business statistics.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
A short explanations are available on the website of the Official statistics portal
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Management Systems of the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) are certified according to requirements of ISO 9001:2015 standard "Quality management systems – Requirements" and information security management system standard ISO 27001:2013.
The Quality Policy of CSB consists of the CSB's vision, mission, core values and commitment to meet the requirements, follow good practice and ensure continuous improvement.
The quality policy is designed and implemented in accordance with the CSB strategy (3-year period) and the action plan.
11.1. Quality assurance
The quality of statistics is assessed according to five quality criteria: relevance, accuracy, timeliness and punctuality, accessibility and clarity, coherence and comparability.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Every quarter the following indicators for quality monitoring and assurance are calculated: fields of relevance, accuracy and reliability, timeliness and punctuality, comparability, coherence are completed. These indicators are published in the metadata section of the CSB website.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The main users of statistical information are State and municipal authorities and agencies, international organisations (Eurostat), the media, research and business communities, students.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
We don’t receive any special feedback from our users and no user satisfaction survey has been done for this statistics. Official Statistics Portal data flow is monitored.
12.3. Completeness
Statistics on Building permits number and floor area is accordance with the requirements of REGULATION (EU) 2019/2152 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Within the full-scope survey data are acquired from 36 counties and 7 city councils of national significance. The response rate is 100%.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable
14.1. Timeliness
The Building permits data is published at 13:00 o' clock of the local time on the 40nd day after the end of the reference quarter; if the 40nd day is on a weekend or on a holiday then it is published on the next working day.
14.2. Punctuality
The data is published according to release calendar and sent to Eurostat at the same date when is published on the press release in CSB website.
In 100% of cases data are published in line with the schedule.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
For the whole Latvian territory the same statstical concepts are applied.
Statistical information is comparable between EU countries.
15.2. Comparability - over time
The Building permits data is comparable since year 2000.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not aligned with other surveys.
15.4. Coherence - internal
The higher aggregates i.e. types of construction according to CPA 2.1. red. Statistical Classification of Products by activity in the European Union, Version 2.1 are consistent with their main sub-aggregates.
Not relevant (administrative data are used).
17.1. Data revision - policy
CSB Revision policy has been laid down in accordance with European Union and international recommendations and good practice.
Basically CSB statistical data are revised in accordance with the scheduled revision cycle and plan.
Within the context of construction statistics, the revisions of statistical data concern:
- Regular revision of the published data, adding revised or more detailed information.
- Long-term planned revision of the published data in accordance with the changes in methodology or classifications.
- Unplanned revision (correction of errors) are carried out, if a respondent updates, supplements or corrects data on any of the previous periods, or if the methodology changes.
Revision policy is available on the CSB website.
The same revision policy is applied nationally and in transmissions to Eurostat.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Data on previous quarter could be revised. When building permits for a new quarter is published, the data of previous quarter can be updated. In practice data are not revised (MAR=MR=0).
18.1. Source data
Data for 2024 are obtained from the administrative data source: Construction Information System.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Quarterly
18.3. Data collection
The data on 2024 are acquired from Construction Information System and acquired from 36 counties and 7 city councils of national significance.
18.4. Data validation
CSB has the main program used for data entry, processing with automatic control and validation tools - ISDMS (Integrated Statistical Data Management System).
Standard MS Office professional software (MS Excel, MS Access) is used daily for the compilation of construction statistics.
Data are compared with the previous period and the same period of the previous year.
18.5. Data compilation
Data on building permits granted are aggregated by CSB. Missing data are not estimated.
18.6. Adjustment
Seasonality or seasonal fluctuations of time series are those movements, which recur with similar intensity in the same season each year. Seasonally adjusted data do not include seasonal fluctuations and calendar effects, so it is possible to compare, for example, current quarterly data with previous quarterly data.
Calendar effects cover influence of calendar on time series. It is the number of different working days in months /quarters; distribution of days of the week; the impact of the leap year on changes of the indicator. The Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia uses Latvian specific calendar regressors, which are calculated in accordance with the Law on Holidays, Remembrance and Celebration Days and JDemetra+ documentation. Calendar adjustment is performed only for those time series for which the calendar effect is statistically significant and economically explainable. Calendar adjusted data do not include calendar effects and are used to compare, for example, data for the current quarter with data for the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
Revisions are expected when new data are added to the time series, as the whole seasonally adjusted time series is recalculated. Once a year, the time series models are reviewed - that is, the models are checked for compliance with the time series and the time series models are improved if necessary. Larger data revisions are potentially expected for the next month or quarter after the model review.
No comments.
Building permits indicators: Number of dwellings, Square meters of useful floor.
26 March 2025
Data on building permits granted allow acquiring information on building permits issued for buildings and types thereof, obtaining data on building and structure number, intended floor space in buildings under construction as well as reconstruction, renovation or restoration of existing buildings. A building permit is an authorisation to start work on a building project. As such, a permit is the final stage of planning and building authorisations from public authorities, prior to the start of work.
Reporting unit - the building authority.
Observation unit - residential and non - residential buildings requiring building permits by cities under state jurisdiction and counties.
Within the full-scope survey data are acquired from 36 counties and 7 city councils of national significance.
Latvia
Quarter.
Within the full-scope survey data are acquired from 36 counties and 7 city councils of national significance. The response rate is 100%.
Number and floor area (m2)
Data on building permits granted are aggregated by CSB. Missing data are not estimated.
Data for 2024 are obtained from the administrative data source: Construction Information System.
Quarterly and yearly.
The Building permits data is published at 13:00 o' clock of the local time on the 40nd day after the end of the reference quarter; if the 40nd day is on a weekend or on a holiday then it is published on the next working day.
For the whole Latvian territory the same statstical concepts are applied.
Statistical information is comparable between EU countries.
The Building permits data is comparable since year 2000.
