Seasonally and working-day adjusted figures, however, showed a modest 0.7% increase compared to February 2025.
Among the two main construction segments, building construction fell by 0.1%, while civil engineering dropped by 8.9% compared to March 2024. Despite the overall decline, the production volume in the construction of buildings rose by 27.8%, and by 1.8% in civil engineering. Specialized construction activities, which hold the largest weight within the sector, posted a significant 20.1% decrease.
The volume of new contracts concluded in March fell sharply by 27.3% compared to the same month last year. Within this figure, contracts for building construction plummeted by 41.3%, impacted by a high base effect, while contracts for civil engineering works grew by 10.4%.
At the end of March, the stock of orders held by construction enterprises was 3.8% higher year-on-year. The volume of contracts for building construction was down by 14.7%, while orders for civil engineering works increased by 20.7%.
In the first quarter of 2025, construction output volume was 5.7% lower compared to the same period of the previous year, highlighting persistent challenges in the sector.
Construction producer prices rose by 5.4% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of 2024. Prices increased by 6.0% both in civil engineering and in specialized construction activities, while the cost of building construction rose by 4.1%. Compared to the previous quarter, construction producer prices were up 2.2%.
The sharp decline in new contracts and continued price increases suggest a challenging outlook for Hungary’s construction sector moving into the rest of the year.
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