European construction activity slips below previous year’s levels

Production in construction across both the euro area and the EU fell by 1.1 per cent in November 2025 compared with the previous month, according to the latest figures released by Eurostat.

This downward trend followed a period of growth in October 2025, when production had increased by 1.7 per cent in the euro area and 1.4 per cent in the EU.

When compared with the same month in 2024, the November 2025 data showed a year-on-year decrease of 0.8 per cent in the euro area and 0.4 per cent in the wider EU.

The monthly decline within the euro area was driven by a 1.2 per cent drop in the construction of buildings, while civil engineering fell by 1.6 per cent and specialised construction activities decreased by 0.4 per cent.

Across the EU, the building sector contracted by 1.1 per cent, with civil engineering seeing a more significant fall of 2.5 per cent and specialised activities dipping by 0.2 per cent.

Performance varied significantly between individual nations. The largest monthly decreases were observed in Hungary, which saw a drop of 7.3 per cent, followed by Slovenia at 6.2 per cent and Romania at 5.8 per cent.

Conversely, some Member States reported growth during the same period. Increases were observed in Slovakia, Finland and Bulgaria, Eurostat reported, highlighting gains of 3.5 per cent, 2.3 per cent, and 1.5 per cent respectively.

Looking at the annual comparison for November 2025 against November 2024, the euro area experienced a 3.5 per cent decrease in building construction, though civil engineering and specialised activities both grew slightly by 0.4 per cent.

In the EU, building construction fell by 1.5 per cent and civil engineering dropped by 1.2 per cent, while specialised construction activities rose by 1.0 per cent.

“Production in construction decreased by 0.8 per cent in the euro area and by 0.4 per cent in the EU,” the statistical office confirmed regarding the yearly change.

The highest annual increases in production were dominated by Northern and Central European nations.

Finland recorded a surge of 14.5 per cent, Slovenia rose by 12.2 per cent, and the Czech Republic increased by 6.2 per cent.

At the other end of the scale, the largest annual decreases were shared by Belgium and Austria, which both saw a 4.9 per cent contraction, followed by France at 4.5 per cent and Hungary at 3.5 per cent.