Hungary

Overall construction activity

In 2022 the output of construction was €17,56 billion (HUF 6873,7 billion) at current prices, which surpassed that of 2021 by 3,0%. In this context, the volume of building construction was 6,3% higher, while that of civil engineering was 1,4% lower. In 2022, 3,1% fewer contracts were awarded, with the volume of building construction 10,3% higher and the volume of civil engineering 17,3% lower. The value added of construction to GDP increased by 3,0% compared to the same period of the previous year.

At the end of December, the order book of construction enterprises decreased by 1,2 %, with the volume of contracts for building construction increasing by 13,9 % and that for civil engineering decreasing by 10,6 % compared to the same period of the previous year.

Since 2016, more and more companies have been registered in the construction industry, their number was 147,4 thousand at the end of 2022, 4,6% more than in 2021. The number of enterprises decreased only in the construction of other buildings, by 1,7%. Like the national economy as a whole, the construction industry has long been characterized by the numerical predominance of small and medium-sized enterprises, with more than 90% of construction companies employing less than 5 people, their share in the specialised construction sector is over 93%, while that of larger companies with at least 50 employees is below 0,5%. Most of the construction companies were in the subsectors of building mechanical installation and finishing construction (45 thousand and 34 thousand, respectively).

Based on the data of residential employment, the number of people employed in the construction industry in 2022 was 380 000, representing 8,1% of total employment in the national economy. The number of self-employed workers was 81 877, an increase 9,96% compared to 2021. 

92,7% of the workers in the construction industry were men while 7,3% were women. There were 153 000 manual workers, representing 68% of the workforce, and 73 000 non-manual workers, both higher than in 2021. The number of manual and non-manual workers increased in all three sectors of construction.

Housebuilding

In 2022, 20,540 new dwellings were built, 3,2% more than the previous. Based on issued dwelling construction permits and simple declarations, the number of homes to be built increased by 17% to 35 002 compared to 2021.

 

The share of dwellings built by natural persons increased from 35% to 39%, while the share built by businesses decreased from 64% to 60% compared to 2021.

 

49% of the new dwellings put into use in new residential buildings are single-family dwellings, 39% are multi-family dwellings and 9.0% are residential parks.

 

A total of 13 897 residential buildings are planned to be built, a 16% decrease compared to 2021, issued new construction permits show. 77% of them, a total of 10 727 units, are one-dwelling residential buildings.

Non-residential construction

In 2022 4,768 permits were issued for non-residential buildings, a decrease of 5,0% compared to the previous year. Compared to 2021, the output prices of industrial buildings and warehouses increased the most (+28,1%).