Construction in the EU decreased by 0.9% m/m in August

The largest drops were recorded in Romania, Hungary and Poland

Production in the European Union’s construction sector fell by 0.9% in August 2025 compared to the previous month, and by 0.1% in the eurozone. Compared to August 2024, the figure rose by 0.1% in the eurozone and remained stable in the EU. This is evidenced by preliminary data from Eurostat.

By type of activity, in August, construction of buildings in the eurozone decreased by 0.1% month-on-month, civil engineering by 1.3% month-on-month, while specialized construction work increased by 0.1%. In the EU, the volume of building construction and specialized construction remained stable, while civil engineering decreased by 2.5%.

Among the member states, the largest monthly declines were recorded in Romania (-26.2%), Hungary (-11.4%), and Poland (-4.0%). The largest increases were recorded in Sweden (+4.2%), the Czech Republic (+2.2%), and Bulgaria (+1.4%).

In annual terms, construction volumes in the eurozone decreased by 3.8% for buildings, while the civil engineering and specialized works segments recorded growth of 2.6% and 2%, respectively. In the EU, building construction fell by 3%, civil engineering increased by 1%, and specialized works by 2%.

Among EU countries, the highest annual growth in August was recorded in Slovenia (+25.2%), the Czech Republic (+17.0%), and Slovakia (+13.8%). The largest declines were observed in Hungary (-13.6%), the Netherlands (-6.2%), and Poland (-4.9%).

According to revised data, in July 2025, construction output grew by 0.9% month-on-month in the EU (previously reported as +0.6% month-on-month) and by 0.5% month-on-month in the eurozone, while in annual terms the growth was 1.4% and 0.7%, respectively.

As GMK Center reported earlier, the average annual volume of production in the EU construction sector in 2024 decreased by 1.3% compared to 2023.

According to Eurofer, in 2025, the EU construction sector, one of the main consumers of steel, will remain weak. After a 2% decline in 2024, growth is expected to reach +1.1% in 2025, while a slight slowdown to +0.8% is forecast for 2026.