Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, publishes today the figures on building permits until May 2021.
Annual evolution
The number of permits issued for new residential buildings in the first 5 months of 2021 has increased by 14.3% to 13,821 buildings compared to the same period in 2020. The increase is the sharpest in the Walloon Region, where it amounted to 23.7%. In the Flemish Region, the number of permits issued for new residential buildings was 11.4% higher, and the Brussels-Capital Region registered an increase of 15.7%.
| 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 | 8,977 | (-25.5%) | 6,038 | (-35.4%) | 2,860 | (+9.6%) | 79 | (-19.4%) |
| 2018 | 14,162 | (+57.8%) | 11,279 | (+86.8%) | 2,808 | (-1.8%) | 75 | (-5.1%) |
| 2019 | 11,114 | (-21.5%) | 8,419 | (-25.4%) | 2,641 | (-5.9%) | 54 | (-28.0%) |
| 2020 | 12,095 | (+8.8%) | 9,209 | (+9.4%) | 2,815 | (+6.6%) | 70 | (+29.6%) |
| 2021 | 13,821 | (+14.3%) | 10,257 | (+11.4%) | 3,483 | (+23.7%) | 81 | (+15.7%) |
| (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 2021, building permits were issued for 2,614 new residential buildings. Compared to April 2021, this is a decrease of 2.9%. The Flemish Region registered a slight increase of 0.9%. The number of permits issued for new residential buildings has decreased by 13.3% in the Walloon Region. In the Brussels-Capital Region, permits were issued for 16 new residential buildings.
| Month | Belgium | Flemish Region | Walloon Region | Brussels-Capital Region | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 2,563 | 1,921 | 630 | 0.0% | 12 | |||
| 2020 | 2 | 2,433 | (-5.1%) | 1,944 | (+1.2%) | 475 | (-24.6%) | 14 | (+16.7%) |
| 2020 | 3 | 3,189 | (+31.1%) | 2,565 | (+31.9%) | 609 | (+28.2%) | 14 | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 | 2,172 | (-31.9%) | 1,506 | (-41.3%) | 644 | (+5.7%) | 22 | (+57.1%) |
| 2020 | 5 | 1,738 | (-20.0%) | 1,273 | (-15.5%) | 457 | (-29.0%) | 8 | (-63.6%) |
| 2020 | 6 | 2,294 | (+32.0%) | 1,828 | (+43.6%) | 461 | (+0.9%) | 5 | (-37.5%) |
| 2020 | 7 | 2,242 | (-2.3%) | 1,637 | (-10.4%) | 591 | (+28.2%) | 13 | (+160.0%) |
| 2020 | 8 | 2,454 | (+9.5%) | 1,739 | (+6.2%) | 710 | (+20.1%) | 5 | (-61.5%) |
| 2020 | 9 | 2,312 | (-5.8%) | 1,706 | (-1.9%) | 587 | (-17.3%) | 19 | (+280.0%) |
| 2020 | 10 | 2,626 | (+13.6%) | 2,029 | (+18.9%) | 581 | (-1.0%) | 16 | (-15.8%) |
| 2020 | 11 | 2,239 | (-14.7%) | 1,669 | (-17.7%) | 566 | (-2.6%) | 4 | (-75.0%) |
| 2020 | 12 | 2,383 | (+6.4%) | 1,839 | (+10.2%) | 529 | (-6.5%) | 16 | (+300.0%) |
| 2021 | 1 | 2,526 | (+6.0%) | 1,896 | (+3.1%) | 616 | (+16.4%) | 14 | (-12.5%) |
| 2021 | 2 | 2,427 | (-3.9%) | 1,822 | (-3.9%) | 591 | (-4.1%) | 13 | (-7.1%) |
| 2021 | 3 | 3,563 | (+46.8%) | 2,648 | (+45.3%) | 887 | (+50.1%) | 28 | (+115.4%) |
| 2021 | 4 | 2,691 | (-24.5%) | 1,937 | (-26.9%) | 744 | (-16.1%) | 10 | (-64.3%) |
| 2021 | 5 | 2,614 | (-2.9%) | 1,954 | (+0.9%) | 645 | (-13.3%) | 16 | (+60.0%) |
| 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 February 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, but the difference remains small. In recent months, new buildings and renovations have been on about the same level.
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. Afterwards, the difference has been increasing again in favour of the apartments. The difference is the greatest in 2018. From 2019 onwards, the gap narrows again.
New construction vs renovation Single family dwellings vs apartments
