In 2021, building permits (in terms of useful floor area, measured in millions of square metres; mio m²) went up by 15% in the EU (in absolute terms, +52 mio m²). This growth followed a decline of 8% in 2020, the peak year of the COVID-19 crisis.
Building permits are also measured in numbers of dwellings irrespective of the size of the building. In terms of numbers of dwellings, permits went up by 16% (+269 000 dwellings) in the EU after a dip of 5% in 2020.
Source dataset: sts_cobp_a
Between 2015 and 2019, the number of permits went up by 6% on average per year. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted these developments, but with the increase in 2021, the losses of 2020 were compensated.
Source dataset: sts_cobp_a
In 2021, building permits (in terms of useful floor area) increased in all EU countries with the exception of Estonia (-5%). However, there were sizeable differences in the increases across Member States. Spain (+62%), Greece (+54%) and Malta (+42%) recorded the highest increases in the number of permits issued in terms of useful floor area. On the other hand, rather low increases were recorded in Denmark (+1%), Germany (+2%) and Austria (+3%).
For more information:
- Statistics Explained article on building permit index overview
- Dedicated section on short-term business statistics
- Database on short-term business statistics
Methodological notes:
- Short-term statistics provide two types of indices for building permits. The "dwelling index" reflects the evolution in terms of the number of dwellings. The "floor area index" reflects the development of the useful floor area for which the building permits are issued. Where the useful floor area cannot be ascertained, an alternative size measure may be used.
- Building permits in terms of number of dwellings: the data cover only one-dwelling residential buildings and residential buildings with two or more dwellings, but not residential buildings for communities (e.g. residences for the elderly).
- Building permits in terms of useful floor area: the data cover all types of residential buildings (including residences for communities) and non-residential buildings, for example offices, hotels, shops, warehouses, industrial buildings, schools and hospitals.
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