The total construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises both in Estonia and abroad combined rose by 14% YoY in the first quarter of 2022, state agency Statistics Estonia reported.
Merike Sinisaar, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said: “The higher volume of construction in foreign countries was mainly due to civil engineering activities. Construction in foreign countries accounted for 6 % of the total construction volume, just as it was the year before.”
The construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises in foreign countries alone rose by 9%.
The production value of Estonian construction enterprises totaled EUR 805 million, the agency said, whereas building construction accounted for EUR 619 million and civil engineering for EUR 186 million.
Compared with Q1 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%.
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, Sinisaar added.
The domestic construction market was primarily influenced by the increased volume of building construction, with a rise in both new building construction and building repair and reconstruction work.
The volume of civil engineering works remained unchanged on year.
The Register of Construction Works recorded 1,240 dwellings completed in Q1, down by 27%.
Over a third of these were in Tallinn, followed by the rural municipalities making up the commuter belts of both Tallinn and Tartu.
1,851 dwellings were granted building permits, up by 11%, Statistics Estonia said.
Apartment blocks remain the most common type of building.
Completed non-residential buildings numbered 258, with a useful floor area of 102,700 square meters in Q1, primarily relating to new industrial, office and storage premises.
There was a fall in both the useful floor area and the volume of completed non-residential buildings. (ERR/Business World Magazine)
