Construction volumes in Estonia up by 5 percent in Q1 2025
The total production value of Estonian construction enterprises in Estonia and abroad rose by 5 percent on year to the first quarter of 2025 (Q1 2025), state agency Statistics Estonia reported.
Specifically, in the domestic market, construction volume rose by 3 percent over that period.
In total, production value reached €752 million, including €546 million in building construction and €206 million in civil engineering. Compared with Q1 2024, building construction volumes rose by 10 percent, while civil engineering works (roads, bridges, pipelines, electricity lines, etc.) fell by 6 percent, as of the first quarter of this year.
Commenting on these figures, Merike Sinisaar, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said the domestic construction market was mainly affected by increased building construction. She said: "The construction of buildings has been in a slump since the second quarter of 2022, and the recent growth is mainly due to last year's low reference base."
"There was an increase both in new building construction and in the volume of repair and reconstruction works. The volume of civil engineering decreased in the first quarter, mainly due to a decline in new construction," Sinisaar added.
Meanwhile, Estonian construction enterprises operating abroad saw volumes rise by nearly a third compared with the first quarter of 2024, mainly due to civil engineering activities. As a result, foreign construction accounted for 9 percent of the total volume in Q1 2025, up from 7 percent in Q1 2024.
In the residential sector, 1,598 new dwellings were completed – almost a tenth fewer than in Q1 2024. Most of these came in apartment blocks, with 3–5 floors the most common variety. The largest numbers were in Tallinn, followed by nearby rural municipalities and Tartu.
Despite the drop in completions, 1,461 building permits were issued, 36 percent more than a year earlier. A block of flats remained the most popular type of residential building.
Finally, 267 non-residential buildings were completed, with a total floor area of 167,200 square meters. New warehouse, commercial, and industrial premises made up the largest share of this segment.
More detailed information is available from Statistics Estonia's website here and here.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
