Europe’s construction output falls sharply

Eurozone Construction output dropped 12.9% year-on-year in February, and was down 9.4% in the EU27, according to the latest figures from Eurostat.

The largest annual decreases were registered in Slovenia (-27.5%), Italy (-23.0%) and Germany (-21.4%). The countries reporting the strongest year-on-year increases were Poland (13.4%), Romania (5.2%) and Sweden (3.6%).

Eurostat said building construction output declined 11.3% in the Eurozone and 7.9% in the EU27, while civil engineering output decreased 18.4% in the Eurozone and- 15.9% in the EU27.

Meanwhile, on a monthly comparison basis, Eurostat said construction output in February was down 7.1% in the Eurozone, compared to January this year. In the EU27, construction output was down 3.7% month-on-month in February.

The largest month-on-month decreases were registered in Germany (-17.1%), Slovenia (-10.3%), Italy (-9.9%) and Hungary (-7.2%). The largest increases were registered in the UK (5.7%) and Romania (1.7%).

Building construction output dropped 6.7% month-on-month in the Eurozone and-2.9% in the EU27. Output in the civil engineering sector fell 9.6% compared to January the Eurozone, and 10.1% in the EU27.