The monthly volume of construction activity also declined by 1.3% compared to January, based on seasonally and working day adjusted figures.
The decline was largely driven by a steep drop in building construction, which fell by 11.0% compared to the same month last year. In contrast, civil engineering output—typically associated with infrastructure projects—surged 15.3% year-on-year, supported by a low base effect.
Among construction divisions, building construction was down 11.2%, while civil engineering expanded by 44.0%. Specialized construction activities, which hold the largest weight in the sector, also declined by 10.9%.
The volume of new contracts signed in February fell by 15.5% compared to the previous year. However, this overall figure masks divergent trends: contracts for building construction increased by 12.0%, while those for civil engineering dropped sharply by 32.9% from a high base in 2024.
The total stock of orders at the end of February was 1.8% higher than a year earlier. Within this, the volume of contracts for building construction was down 6.9%, while civil engineering contracts rose by 8.9%.
For the first two months of 2025, total construction output was 7.0% lower than during the same period last year, reflecting a difficult start to the year for the sector.
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