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Sourced statistics on construction: building activity and output, housing starts and permits, construction spending, materials prices and the largest firms and markets, with the original source named on every chart.
Overview
Construction is one of the largest sectors in any economy and a sensitive gauge of its health. Housing starts, building permits and construction spending tend to turn before the wider economy does, because building responds quickly to interest rates, confidence and credit. The sector also drives demand for a long list of materials, cement, steel, timber, glass and copper, so its ups and downs reach far beyond the building site.
This category brings together the statistics that describe that activity: how much is being built in housing, commercial and infrastructure segments, how many homes are started and permitted, what construction and materials cost, and which firms and markets lead. Infrastructure investment and public building programmes sit alongside private construction to show the full pipeline.
Every chart names the organisation that produced the underlying data and the date it was published, and separates reported figures from estimates and forecasts. Use the topic links above to narrow the list, or scroll to the latest statistics below.
Latest statistics
Newest first. Each chart links to its full page with source and notes.
Topics
Six areas make up the Construction category. Each block lists the indicators we track most often so you know what to expect before opening a chart.
Total construction output and value added across residential, commercial and civil segments.
Indicators: construction output, value added, output by segment
New residential construction: housing starts, completions and building permits by country.
Indicators: housing starts, completions, permits issued
Public and private construction spending across residential and non-residential building.
Indicators: construction spending, public vs private, year-on-year change
Prices and demand for cement, steel, timber and other key building materials.
Indicators: materials price indices, cement and steel demand
Investment in transport, energy and public infrastructure and major project pipelines.
Indicators: infrastructure investment, project value, public works spend
The largest construction firms and building-materials companies by revenue and output.
Indicators: contractor revenue, market share, largest firms
Data sources
We use the organisations that produce or collect the primary data. The specific source and its publication date are shown on each chart.
Construction output, starts and permit data by country.
U.S. construction spending, housing starts and permits.
Construction output and building statistics for the EU.
Construction, cement and steel industry bodies.
Filings of major contractors and materials producers.
Infrastructure investment and construction indicators.
Infrastructure and development spending data.
Housing and construction lending statistics.
Questions
Construction statistics: building output and value added, housing starts and permits, public and private construction spending, materials prices, infrastructure investment and the largest contractors and materials firms.
National statistical offices, the U.S. Census Bureau, Eurostat, industry associations, company filings, the OECD and the World Bank. The source and date are shown on every chart so you can check the figure yourself.
Housing starts, permits and construction spending are updated monthly or quarterly as agencies release them; annual output and firm data when new figures are published. Each chart shows the date of its last update.
Yes. Reference them in reports, articles and academic work with credit to Business Stats and the original source named on the chart. For commercial reuse of full charts or datasets, contact us first.