Following two years of decline, construction volumes increase in 2016
According to preliminary data from Statistics Estonia, the total production of Estonian construction enterprises in Estonia and abroad amounted to €2.1 billion in 2016, a 3-percent increase over 2015.
In 2016, the production value of building construction was €1.4 billion and the production of civil engineering works totaled €656 million. Compared to 2015, the volume of building construction increased 9 percent while the volume of civil engineering decreased by one tenth.
The domestic construction market was affected the most by a decrease in civil engineering volumes. There was also a decrease in repair and reconstruction work in building construction. However, new building construction, which had taken an upturn already in 2013, continued its growth trend in 2016 as well.
The construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises in foreign countries increased 3 percent compared to 2015, affected mainly by the construction of buildings. Construction volumes in foreign countries accounted for 11 percent of the total volume of construction in 2016.
The number of dwelling completions increased for the fifth year running. According to data from the Register of Construction Works, in 2016, the number of dwelling completions was 4,732, i.e. 763 dwellings more than during the previous year. The largest share of completed dwellings was in blocks of apartments and every second dwelling had two or three rooms. The majority of completed dwellings were situated in Tallinn, followed by municipalities surrounding Tallinn and Tartu County.
Demand remains for new high-quality dwellings in a good location. In 2016, building permits were granted for the construction of 6,021 dwellings, about 8 percent more than in 2015. The most popular type of residential building was a block of apartments.
In 2016, the number of completed non-residential buildings was 1,060, with a total useful floor area of 771,000 square meters — these were primarily new commercial, storage and industrial premises. Both the useful floor area as well as the cubic capacity of completed non-residential buildings increased compared to 2015.
In the 4th quarter of 2016, the production value of construction amounted to €572 million, which was 3 percent more than in the 4th quarter of 2015. The volumes of building construction as well as civil engineering increased.
Editor: Aili Vahtla