Construction volume increases in 2017
According to preliminary data of Statistics Estonia, in 2017 the total production of construction companies in Estonia and in foreign countries amounted to €2.5 billion, 18 percent more than in 2016. Taking into account only the domestic construction market, construction volume increased by 23 percent.
Construction volume increased for the second consecutive year.
The production value of building construction was €1.6 billion and the production of civil engineering works totalled €846 million. Compared to 2016, the volume of building construction increased by 14 percent and the volume of civil engineering by more than a quarter.
Building construction contributed the most to the growth of the domestic construction market. Compared to 2016, the construction volume increased in new building construction as well as in repair and reconstruction work. The growth was supported also by civil engineering, which resumed growth at the beginning of last year.
The volumes of Estonian construction enterprises in other countries decreased by 21 percent compared to 2016. The construction of buildings as well as civil engineering decreased. Construction volumes in foreign countries accounted for 8 percent of the total volume of construction in 2017 (11 percent in 2016).
New dwelling construction continued its growth trend for the sixth year. According to data of the Register of Construction Works, in 2017 the number of dwelling completions amounted to 5,890, which is 1,158 more than the year before.
As in previous years, the largest share of completed dwellings was in blocks of flats situated in Tallinn, in the vicinity of Tallinn and in Tartu county. The majority of completed dwellings had two or four rooms. The floor area of completed dwellings was 92 square metres on average.
There still seems to be demand for new high-quality dwellings in a good location. In 2017 building permits were granted for the construction of 7,877 dwellings, which is about a third more than in 2016. The most popular type of residential building was blocks of flats.
In 2017, the number of completed non-residential buildings was 1,251, with a useful floor area of 804,000 square metres. These were primarily new storage and industrial premises and offices. Compared to 2016, the useful floor area as well as the cubic capacity of completed non-residential buildings increased.
In the 4th quarter of 2017, the production value of construction amounted to €680 million, which was 16 percent more than in the 4th quarter of 2016. The volumes of building construction as well as civil engineering increased.
Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: Statistics Estonia