Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
A total of 12,062 dwellings were put into use last year, down 9.3% from 2024. At the same time, the number of dwellings authorized through construction permits and simple declarations rose 37% to 28,081, signaling a potential rebound in future building activity.
Nearly one-third of new homes were built in Budapest, although the capital recorded a 14% drop in completions compared with a year earlier. Construction declined 26% in towns with county rank and 6.6% in villages. Only smaller towns not designated as county seats posted growth, with an 8.9% increase in completed dwellings.
Housing construction remained heavily concentrated in Budapest. Of the 3,949 homes completed in the capital, 62% were delivered in four districts. District XIII accounted for 732 units, followed by District IX with 636, District VIII with 631 and District XI with 458.
Regionally, completions rose 8.2% in the Pest region, 8.8% in Southern Transdanubia and 3.9% in Western Transdanubia, while declining elsewhere. Outside the capital, higher numbers of new apartments were recorded in several larger cities, including Nyíregyháza, Kecskemét and Szeged, as well as in the lakeside towns of Siófok and Keszthely.
The share of homes built by private individuals slipped to 36% from 38% in 2024, while enterprises increased their share to 64% from 61%.
Detached houses accounted for 51% of new homes completed in residential buildings, compared with 39% in multiunit buildings and 6.5% in residential complexes. The average floor space of completed dwellings edged down by 1 square meter to 95.6 square meters nationwide. In Budapest, the average size was 71.3 square meters.
Homes built for sale made up 64% of completions, while those intended for owner-occupation accounted for 34%, a shift of 3 percentage points toward properties built for sale.
Meanwhile, building permits rose sharply across the country. In Budapest, permits were issued for 10,959 dwellings, up 56% year on year. Seventy-one percent of planned housing in the capital will be concentrated in three districts, led by District XI with 4,247 permits, followed by District XIII with 2,054 and District X with 1,458.
Compared with 2024, the number of permitted dwellings increased 56% in towns with county rank, 18% in other towns and 13% in villages.
Among larger provincial cities, Debrecen and Szeged stood out with 926 and 864 permits, respectively. More than 500 dwellings were also authorized in Nyíregyháza, Győr and Székesfehérvár.
Permit numbers increased in every region, with the sharpest rises recorded in the Southern Great Plain, up 76%, followed by Budapest at 56% and Central Transdanubia at 49%.
Builders used the simplified declaration procedure in 27% of cases. Construction permits were issued for 10,228 residential buildings, 18% more than a year earlier, while permits for nonresidential buildings fell 16% to 2,975.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
