Between January and June, some 5,129 new dwellings were put into use, representing a 15% decline compared to the same period in 2024. The drop affected most of the country, with completions down 14% in Budapest, 34% in county-ranked cities, and 17% in villages. Only smaller towns not ranked at the county level saw a slight increase, up 1.1% year-over-year.
Budapest remained the epicenter of residential construction, with 1,821 new homes completed. Nearly half of those were concentrated in just three districts: 379 in District IX, 319 in District VIII, and 195 in District XI.
Regionally, only Pest and Western Transdanubia saw increases in completed homes—up 1.0% and 5.7% respectively. All other regions recorded declines.
The share of homes built by private individuals dropped from 38% to 33%, while corporate-driven construction rose from 60% to 67%. In terms of building types, 48% of newly completed dwellings were in detached houses, 41% in multi-unit buildings, and 7.1% in residential complexes.
The average floor area of newly built homes decreased slightly, falling 1.9 square meters to 93.5 square meters compared to the same period last year. In Budapest, the average size was notably smaller, at 68 square meters.
Homes built for sale accounted for 66% of all completions, while those built for owner-occupation stood at 32%. This marks a 6.7 percentage point shift toward market-driven construction.
Meanwhile, housing permits and declarations surged 43% to 12,830 nationally. The capital led this spike, with permits issued for 5,992 dwellings—3.8 times more than a year earlier. Four districts accounted for 80% of all permitted housing in Budapest, with District XI alone seeing about 3,400 new permits. Districts XIII, X, and XXI combined for more than 1,300 permits.
In county-ranked cities, permits increased modestly by 3.3%. However, smaller towns and villages saw declines of 17% and 6.1%, respectively. Among larger cities, Szeged stood out with over 550 permitted dwellings, while Székesfehérvár, Debrecen, Nyíregyháza, and Pécs each approved more than 200.
Outside Budapest, permit activity rose sharply in Central Transdanubia and the Southern Great Plain, up 22% and 122%, respectively. By contrast, Northern Great Plain and Southern Transdanubia experienced the steepest drops, down 41% and 39% year-over-year.
Simple declarations were used in 31% of permit cases, offering a streamlined route for builders.
Based on issued permits, 4,451 new residential buildings are planned nationwide—up 3.2% from the same period last year. However, construction of non-residential buildings is expected to fall, with 1,396 projects planned, marking a 20% decline.
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