Building permits drop by 5% across Europe in 2022
02 June 2023
Building permits (in terms of useful floor area) fell by almost 5% in the European Union (EU) in 2022, according to the latest figures from Eurostat.
Permits dropped to 386.7 million sq m last year, following a 15% increase in 2021, reflecting the rebound in the year after the Covid-19 pandemic peak.
In terms of number of dwellings, irrespective of their size, building permits also fell by 4% in the EU, after an increase of 16% in 2021.
Between 2015 and 2019, the number of permits went up by almost 6% on average per year. The Covid-19 pandemic interrupted these developments but the increases in 2021 compensated for the decline in 2020.
Despite the fact that there were decreases in both indicators in 2022, the number of permits was still high, staying above pre-pandemic levels, Eurostat said.
There were nine countries where building permits (in terms of useful floor area) increased. They were:
- Malta (+29%)
- Spain (+28%)
- Croatia (+21%)
- Slovenia (+17%)
- Bulgaria (+12%)
- Italy (+8%)
- Hungary (+7%)
- Portugal (+3%)
- France (+2%)
In the remaining EU countries, the decreases in the number of building permits varied between -28% in Luxembourg and -1% in Romania.