Romania issued 18,848 building permits for residential properties in the first seven months of 2026, down 11.6% from the same period last year, according to data from the statistics office (INS). The decline points to weaker construction activity in the residential segment in the future, with the number of permits also falling sharply year on year in July.

The number of residential building permits issued in July fell 1.7% from June to 2,909 and was 20.8% below July 2025. 

The total useful area covered by the permits declined 27% month on month and 31.9% year on year to 712,682 square metres. The contraction was broad-based across most development regions, while Bucharest-Ilfov was the only region to record an annual increase in residential permits.

Non-residential construction showed a different monthly trend in July. A total of 577 permits were issued, 3.6% more than in June, covering 301,947 square metres of useful area, up 12.2%.

However, non-residential permits also declined year on year in July, with their number falling 5.9% and the total useful area decreasing 21% to 80,025 square metres less than a year earlier.

The decline in non-residential useful area was concentrated in Bucharest-Ilfov, South-Muntenia and South-East, while North-West recorded the largest increase, followed by North-East and West.

The latest figures indicate that the weakness in Romania’s construction permits extends beyond residential development, although the residential segment has recorded the more pronounced decline so far in 2026.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Yury Sevryuk/Dreamstime.com)