European construction output decline continues

Compared with November 2012, construction output among all European member states (EU28) fell 1.6% in November last year, according to the latest data from Eurostat. In the Eurozone, output was down 1.7% year-on-year.

The statistics follow an almost unbroken string of year-on-year decreases in construction output in Europe for each month of 2013.

The strongest year-on-year decreases for November were registered in Portugal (13%), Italy (10.8%), Bulgaria (9.1%) and the Czech Republic (8.3%). The highest increases were seen in Slovenia (30.7%), Hungary (18.9%) and Sweden (5.9%).

In terms of sectors, building construction output dropped 1.4% in both the Eurozone and the EU28, while civil engineering output fell 3.1% in the Eurozone and 3.2% in the EU28.

Month-on-month comparison

Compared with October 2013, construction output for November last year also registered declines. In the EU28, construction output was down 1.1% month-on-month, and fell 0.6% in the Eurozone.

Between October and November last year, the largest decreases were observed in the Czech Republic (5.6%), Romania (4.9%) and the UK (4.0%), and the highest increases in Slovenia (9.6%), Poland (3.9%) and Hungary (3.0%).

Building construction output was down 1.1% in the Eurozone and 1.4% in the EU28, while civil engineering output increased 1% in the Eurozone, but decreased 0.3% in the EU28.