Building permits: May 2019

Housing
Building permits: May 2019

Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, publishes today the figures on building permits until May 2019.

Annual evolution

The number of permits issued for new residential buildings in the first 5 months of 2019 has decreased by 21.1% to 11,157 buildings compared to the same period in 2018. The decrease is the sharpest in the Flemish Region, where it amounted to 25.5%. In the Walloon Region, the number of permits issued for new residential buildings was 3.3% lower, and the Brussels-Capital Region registered a decrease of 28%.

Table 1: Figures for the first 5 months - number of building permits for new residential buildings + evolution compared to the previous period

  Belgium Flemish Region Walloon Region Brussels-Capital Region
2005 13,199   9,237   3,779   183  
2010 13,766 (+4.3%) 9,954 (+7.8%) 3,718 (-1.6%) 94 (-48.6%)
2015 8,842 (-35.8%) 6,258 (-37.1%) 2,510 (-32.5%) 74 (-21.3%)
2016 12,055 (+36.3%) 9,348 (+49.4%) 2,609 (+3.9%) 98 (+32.4%)
2017 8,973 (-25.6%) 6,038 (-35.4%) 2,856 (+9.5%) 79 (-19.4%)
2018 14,141 (+57.6%) 11,247 (+86.3%) 2,819 (-1.3%) 75 (-5.1%)
2019 11,157 (-21.1%) 8,377 (-25.5%) 2,726 (-3.3%) 54 (-28.0%)
Table 1: Figures for the first 5 months - number of building permits for new residential buildings + evolution compared to the previous period

Monthly evolution

For the most recent month available, May 2019, building permits were issued for 2,101 new residential buildings. Compared to April 2019, this is a decrease of 13.5%. In the Flemish Region, the decrease was 18.3%. The number of permits issued for new residential buildings has increased by 4.4% in the Walloon Region. A decrease of 73.3% was registered in the Brussels-Capital Region compared to the month before.

Table 2: Monthly figures - number of permits for new residential buildings + evolution compared to the previous period

  Month Belgium Flemish Region Walloon Region Brussels-Capital Region
2018 1 2,403   1,714   672   17  
2018 2 2,482 (+3.3%) 2,028 (+18.3%) 434 (-35.4%) 20 (+17.6%)
2018 3 3,234 (+30.3%) 2,635 (+29.9%) 583 (+34.3%) 16 (-20.0%)
2018 4 3,188 (-1.4%) 2,632 (-0.1%) 544 (-6.7%) 12 (-25.0%)
2018 5 2,834 (-11.1%) 2,238 (-15.0%) 586 (+7.7%) 10 (-16.7%)
2018 6 2,175 (-23.3%) 1,546 (-30.9%) 619 (+5.6%) 10 0
2018 7 1,997 (-8.2%) 1,425 (-7.8%) 558 (-9.9%) 14 (+40.0%)
2018 8 1,941 (-2.8%) 1,344 (-5.7%) 589 (+5.6%) 8 (-42.9%)
2018 9 2,057 (+6.0%) 1,621 (+20.6%) 422 (-28.4%) 13 (+62.5%)
2018 10 2,187 (+6.3%) 1,651 (+1.9%) 524 (+24.2%) 12 (-7.7%)
2018 11 2,126 (-2.8%) 1,487 (-9.9%) 626 (+19.5%) 13 (+8.3%)
2018 12 2,120 (-0.3%) 1,676 (+12.7%) 432 (-31.0%) 12 (-7.7%)
2019 1 2,129 (+0.4%) 1,547 (-7.7%) 572 (+32.4%) 10 (-16.7%)
2019 2 2,015 (-5.4%) 1,542 (-0.3%) 463 (-19.1%) 9 (-10.0%)
2019 3 2,482 (+23.2%) 1,892 (+22.7%) 575 (+24.2%) 16 (+77.8%)
2019 4 2,430 (-2.1%) 1,869 (-1.2%) 546 (-5.0%) 15 (-6.3%)
2019 5 2,101 (-13.5%) 1,527 (-18.3%) 570 (+4.4%) 4 (-73.3%)
Table 2: Monthly figures - number of permits for new residential buildings + evolution compared to the previous period

Long-term evolution

Since 2007, the number of permits for the renovation of residential buildings was generally higher than the number of permits for the construction of new residential buildings. This changes briefly from the second quarter of 2018 onwards. From January 2019 onwards, the number of permits for the renovation of residential buildings is again higher than the number of permits for the construction of new residential buildings. From 2003 onwards, more permits are issued for new apartments than for single-family dwellings. During the years 2010-2011, both were at approximately the same level, but in recent years the difference has been increasing in favour of the apartments.

New construction vs renovation                               Single family dwellings vs apartments

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