Construction volume increased for the second quarter in a row

In the second quarter, the total production value of Estonian construction enterprises was 1.06 billion euros, including 665 million euros’ worth of building construction and 399 million euros’ worth of civil engineering. Compared with the second quarter of last year, the volume of building construction increased by 4.6% and the volume of civil engineering works (roads, bridges, port facilities, pipelines, communication and electricity lines, sports fields, etc.) grew by 2.5%.

The volume of construction on the domestic market increased, while construction in foreign countries decreased

Merike Sinisaar, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that the construction market is recovering from a prolonged decline, as construction volume increased for the second quarter in a row. “Another positive sign is that, after a long time, there was an increase in the volume of both building construction (6.8%) and civil engineering (1%) on the domestic market in the second quarter,” she said. Sinisaar added that the rise in building construction resulted mainly from the increased volume of repair and reconstruction works, since the demand for new buildings – especially residential buildings – has been declining for a while based on the number of building permits granted.

The construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises operating abroad decreased by about a tenth compared with the second quarter of 2025, mainly due to a fall in building construction. Construction in foreign countries accounted for 6% of the total construction volume, down from 7% in the same quarter of 2025.

The demand for new dwellings is falling

According to the Register of Construction Works, 998 new dwellings were completed – this is more than a fourth less than in the second quarter of 2025. Similarly to the first quarter, the most popular types of residential buildings were blocks of flats with 3–5 storeys and detached houses. The largest numbers of new dwellings were completed in Tallinn and in the rural municipalities in the vicinity of Tallinn and Tartu.

The demand for new dwellings continued to fall, but there was an increase in the share of detached houses. Building permits were issued for the construction of 1,346 dwellings, down by 14% from the second quarter of 2025. In the second quarter, the most popular type of residential building based on building permits was a detached house.

The number of completed non-residential buildings was 256, with a useful floor area of 151,800 square metres. New industrial, commercial and transport premises accounted for the biggest share of non-residential building construction. Compared with the second quarter of 2025, there was a decrease in both the useful floor area and the volume of completed non-residential buildings.

Statistics Estonia collects and analyses data to produce construction statistics as commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, in order to understand how the Estonian economy is doing.

Data as at 28 August 2026 are published. The indicator values may change if there are any revisions made in the data sources after this date.

See also the construction section on our website. More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.

When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.

For further information:

Annaliisa Köss
Media Relations Partner
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 5696 6484
press [at] stat.ee (press[at]stat[dot]ee)

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