EU December construction output falls MoM

Construction output fell by 1.7 per cent in the euro area EA17 and by 2.7 per cent in the EU27 in December 2012, compared with the previous month. The largest monthly declines were seen in Bulgaria, Poland and Germany, in descending order, according to first estimates released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Compared with December 2011, production in December 2012 dropped by 4.8 per cent in the euro area and by 8.5 per cent in the EU27.

Compared with 2011, the average production index for 2012 decreased by 5.4 per cent in the euro area and by 5.8 per cent in the EU.

Monthly comparison

Among the Member States for which data are available for December 2012, production in construction fell in six and rose in eight. The largest decreases were registered in Bulgaria (-10.3 per cent), Poland (-10.1 per cent) and Germany (-8.9 per cent), and the highest increases in Slovenia (+7.2 per cent), Hungary (+3.4 per cent) and Sweden (+3.3 per cent).

Building construction decreased by 1.6 per cent in the euro area and by 2.6 per cent in the EU27, after -0.5 per cent in both zones in November 2012. Civil engineering fell by 2.1 per cent in the euro area and by 2.3 per cent in the EU27, after +1.4 per cent and +0.6 per cent respectively in the previous month.

Annual comparison

Among the Member States for which data are available for December 2012, production in construction fell in 12 and rose in two. The largest decreases were registered in Poland (-23.7 per cent), Portugal (-18.2 per cent), Bulgaria (-15.1 per cent) and the United Kingdom (-15.0 per cent), and the increases in Sweden (+5.2 per cent) and Spain (+4.5 per cent).

Building construction declined by 6.2 per cent in the euro area and by 8.3 per cent in the EU27, after -4.8 per cent and -5.7 per cent respectively in November 2012. Civil engineering decreased by 2.9 per cent in the euro area and by 11.2 per cent in the EU27, after -4.6 per cent and -6.1 per cent respectively in the previous month.

Source: Eurostat