Building permits by country: the latest data

* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
The number of building permits is considered a leading macroeconomic indicator as it typically grows a few months ahead of an economic expansion and declines a few months before an economic slowdown. For example, it is one of the leading indicators used by The Conference Board in the U.S., an organization that has tracked the U.S. and the global business cycles for over 100 years. As noted by Eurostat, building permits may overstate actual construction as some of the permits may remain unused. In practice, however, the building permits and actual construction are highly correlated as indicated by Indiana University researchers. They find that construction usually starts right after the granting of a permit so that the lag between issuing the permit and the work is short. When looking at tendencies please note that the building permits indicator is highly volatile. One should look at a few months or quarters to see any trends.

Definition: Building permits are authorizations granted by a government or another regulatory body before the construction of a new building can legally occur.

Countries Latest available value Reference date Change three months Change twelve months
Albania 343 Q4 / 2022 55.91% 22.50%
Aruba 179 Q1 / 2023 7.83% 98.89%
Australia 13664 Mar / 2023 -10.87% -16.71%
Austria 12931 Q4 / 2022 -6.25% -22.80%
Bahamas 330 Q3 / 2022 -7.82% 7.49%
Belgium 3789 Dec / 2022 -13.20% -16.85%
Bolivia 369 Mar / 2023 -31.28% -16.33%
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1031 Mar / 2023 55.04% -16.25%
Bulgaria 8619 Q1 / 2023 -15.52% -9.17%
Canada 7864 Mar / 2023 39.43% -32.55%
Chile 5542 Mar / 2023 -77.17% -35.76%
Croatia 1722 Mar / 2023 -21.76% -6.46%
Cyprus 863 Dec / 2022 13.55% -17.02%
Czechia 2367 Mar / 2023 4.60% -20.36%
Denmark 2207 Q1 / 2023 -47.48% -77.61%
Dominican Republic 125 Sep / 2022 -14.38% 14.68%
Estonia 1330 Q1 / 2023 -30.98% -28.92%
Fiji 269 Q3 / 2022 -23.14% -5.61%
Finland 409 Mar / 2023 6.23% -61.12%
France 34600 Mar / 2023 11.25% -34.96%
Germany 13018 Dec / 2022 -7.27% -23.76%
Greece 2494 Dec / 2022 17.53% 15.89%
Honduras 609 Dec / 2022 34.14% 131.56%
Hong Kong 43 Mar / 2023 13.16% -2.27%
Hungary 768 Mar / 2023 -14.95% -55.53%
Iran 32790 Q2 / 2018 -2.94% 7.50%
Ireland 1608 Q4 / 2022 -16.34% -31.57%
Israel 2593 Q4 / 2022 -7.43% -23.47%
Italy 12714 Q3 / 2022 -27.56% -12.30%
Japan 73693 Mar / 2023 9.58% -3.19%
Jordan 2003 Nov / 2022 -24.44% -7.78%
Latvia 719 Q1 / 2023 2.57% 0.42%
Lithuania 1623 Q1 / 2023 -8.41% -31.78%
Luxembourg 128 Sep / 2022 4.07% -37.56%
Macao 38 Q1 / 2023 -28.30% -88.13%
North Macedonia 415 Mar / 2023 35.18% 11.26%
Montenegro 93 Q1 / 2023 -18.42% 45.31%
Netherlands 1362 Mar / 2023 2.10% -23.14%
New Zealand 3970 Mar / 2023 14.84% -25.14%
Norway 2221 Mar / 2023 -7.38% -30.70%
Palestine 2804 Q4 / 2022 5.22% -11.80%
Philippines 37270 Q1 / 2022 -2.60% 10.83%
Poland 20242 Mar / 2023 -1.05% -33.01%
Portugal 2342 Mar / 2023 51.59% -8.41%
Qatar 191 Mar / 2023 31.72% -52.01%
Romania 3346 Mar / 2023 24.34% -23.78%
Serbia 1620 Mar / 2023 -0.55% 4.05%
Singapore 5363 Q1 / 2023 125.72% 236.24%
Slovakia 4514 Q4 / 2022 -2.25% -36.49%
Slovenia 242 Mar / 2023 -2.42% -20.66%
Solomon Islands 10 Dec / 2022 -33.33%
South Africa 3994 Mar / 2023 59.76% 2.52%
South Korea 6575 Jun / 2022 -1.92% -20.05%
Spain 1498 Jul / 2021 5.05% 28.25%
Swaziland 94 Q4 / 2022 -20.34% -14.55%
Sweden 1199 Q1 / 2023 -17.48% -56.70%
Taiwan 8605 Jan / 2023 -32.08% -47.69%
Turkey 130299 Q1 / 2023 -52.72% 0.67%
USA 1413000 Mar / 2023 5.68% -24.80%
Ukraine 8402 Q3 / 2018 10.44%
United Kingdom 54540 Q2 / 2022 27.88% 14.12%
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