First release

Published on: 31 July 2026

Increase in dwelling construction and issued construction permits

In the first half of 2026, 6,278 new dwellings were built, 22% more than a year earlier. The number of dwellings to be built based on issued construction permits and simple declarations was 16,588, 29% more than in the same period of 2025.

Dwelling construction, first half of 2026

In the first half of 2026, 6,278 dwellings were put to use, representing a 22% increase compared with the low base figure for the same period last year.

32% more dwellings were built in towns of county rank, 22% more in the capital and other towns alike and 18% more in villages than in the first half of 2025.

The geographical concentration of housing construction remains strong in the capital. Of Budapest’s 2,224 new dwellings, 83% were built in four districts: 832 in District X, 476 in District XIII, 277 in District I and 272 in District XI were put to use.

In three of the towns of county rank, more than 100 new dwellings were completed: in Székesfehérvár (217), Kecskemét (154) and Szeged (122).

Apart from decreases of 34% and 14% in Northern Hungary and Western Transdanubia respectively, the number of dwellings put into use increased in all other regions compared with the same period in 2025.

The proportion of dwellings built by natural persons fell from 33% to 30%, while that of dwellings built by enterprises rose from 67% to 69% compared with the same period of the previous year.

Of dwellings put to use in new residential buildings, 47% are in detached houses, 46% in multi-storey, multi-dwelling buildings, and 4.1% in residential complexes.

The average floor area of dwellings put into use increased by 1.0 m² to 94.5 m² compared with the first half of 2025. The average size of dwellings in the capital was 65.8 m².

The proportion of dwellings built for sale was 68%, while those built for own use accounted for 29%.

Construction permits, first half of 2026

Nationwide, the number of dwellings to be built on the basis of construction permits and simple declarations stood at 16,588, 29% more than a year earlier. In Budapest, permits were granted for the construction of a total of 6,560 dwellings, which is 9.5% more than in the same period of the previous year. 75% of the authorised housing developments in the capital will take place in two districts: 2,561 homes are planned for District XIII and 2,364 for District IX.

The number of authorised construction permits for dwellings increased by 36% in the towns of county rank, by 55% in other towns, and by 50% in villages compared with the same period last year. Among the towns of county rank, Kecskemét, Nyíregyháza and Debrecen stand out, with 578, 498 and 349 authorised dwellings respectively.

Compared with the first half of 2025, the number of authorised construction permits for dwellings increased in every region, with the largest increases in Northern Hungary (133%), Western Transdanubia (86%) and Northern Great Plain (72%). In the Pest region, which encompasses the Budapest agglomeration, the number of housing construction permits rose by 35%.

Developers made use of the simple declaration procedure in 26% of cases.

Based on the new construction permits issued, plans were made to construct a total of 5,708 residential buildings across the country, 28% more than previously. The number of non-residential buildings to be constructed nationwide stood at 1,380, 1.1% fewer than a year earlier.

Next: Dwelling construction, construction permits, Quarters 1–3 2026 – published on: 4 November 2026

Contact: kommunikacio@ksh.hu

Tables (STADAT): https://www.ksh.hu/stadat_elak