In 2017
The number of building licenses issued increased by 9.9% compared to 2016, or 18,621 buildings (68% of new construction).
This increase kept going on in 2018. Indeed within 7 months more than 8,000 building licenses were issued. It represents an increase of 22.6% compared to the same period in 2017.
The Portuguese residential stock was composed of:
- 3.6 million family buildings (the majority of which was from the 1970s and 1980s)
- 5.9 million traditional family housing units
This represents an increase of 0.19 and 0.16% compared to 2016.
14,073 buildings were constructed and/or refurbished.
This represents an increase of 9.7% compared to 2016. The share of new construction amounted to 48%.
These data are explained by the attractiveness of Portugal (both tourist and residential), which has strongly influenced the construction sector. This has been strongly felt in large cities such as Lisbon or Porto, where the number of new buildings (and renovations) has increased over the past 5 years.
These constructions have given little consideration to the ecological or passive aspect of the construction, even if the trend is changing and some efforts are beginning to be made.
For more data on the building industry in Portugal, refer to the 2017 INE report.