In the first quarter of 2026, 6.5 thousand building permits were issued in Portugal, corresponding to a year-on-year decrease of 10.9%, less pronounced than that observed in the fourth quarter of 2025 (-13.5%). Permits for new buildings declined by 9.9% (following a 10.4% decrease in the previous quarter), while permits for renovation works fell by 13.2%, easing the decline recorded in the preceding quarter (-22.4%).
In the same period, an estimated 3.9 thousand buildings were completed, representing a year-on-year increase of 1.5%, reversing the 4.2% decline recorded in the previous quarter.
In the residential sector, the number of dwelling permits in new residential buildings decreased by 3.1%, after increasing by 16.9% in the fourth quarter of 2025. The number of completed dwellings, in turn, increased by 3.7%, extending the growth recorded in the previous quarter (+3.6%).
Compared with the previous quarter, the number of building permits issued increased by 9.6%, while the number of completed buildings decreased by 3.7%.
