In Estonia, the production volume of construction enterprises grew by 14% in the first quarter of 2022, compared to the respective period in the Covid-hit 2021. Estonian builders worked a lot both at home and abroad, official statistics showed.
Statistics Estonia wrote in a press release on Thursday, May 26, that the production value of Estonian construction enterprises totalled 805 million euros, whereas building construction accounted for 619 million euros and civil engineering for 186 million euros. Compared to the first quarter of 2021, the volume of building construction increased by 18% and the volume of civil engineering works (roads, bridges, port facilities, pipelines, communication and electricity lines, sports fields, etc.) rose by 3%.
Merike Sinisaar, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that construction market trends are still influenced by the low reference base of the previous year and also by the biggest increase in material prices in recent years.
The domestic construction market was primarily influenced by the increased volume of building construction. There was a rise in both new building construction and building repair and reconstruction work. The volume of civil engineering works remained on the same level year on year.
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The construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises in foreign countries increased by 9% compared to the first quarter of 2021. «The higher volume of construction in foreign countries was mainly due to civil engineering. Construction in foreign countries accounted for 6% of the total construction volume, just like the year before,» said Sinisaar.
According to the Register of Construction Works, 1,240 dwellings were completed in the first quarter of 2022, which means a 27% decrease year on year. Over a third of the completed dwellings were in Tallinn, followed by the rural municipalities in the vicinity of Tallinn and Tartu County.
Building permits were granted for the construction of 1,851 dwellings, which is 11% less than in the first quarter of 2021. A block of flats is still the most popular type of building.
The number of completed non-residential buildings was 258, with a useful floor area of 102,700 square metres – these were primarily new industrial, office and storage premises. Year on year, there was a decrease in both the useful floor area and the volume of completed non-residential buildings, according to Statistics Estonia.
Construction volume in Estonia rebounded 14% in Q1
