A total of 36,284 homes were completed in Ireland last year, marking a rise of 20.4% compared with 2024, based on the most recent figures from the Central Statistics Office, reports RTE.
The numbers exceed the expectations of most economists and represent the highest level of housing completions since records began in 2011, reports RTE.
In 2024, housing completions totalled 30,147, which was a decrease from 2023 when 32,695 homes were constructed,
The Government has moved away from annual housing targets and has instead set a goal of delivering 300,000 homes between 2025 and the end of 2030, although a document released in January last year outlined a target of 41,000 homes for 2025, reports RTE.
CSO data published today for 2025 indicate that apartment construction rose sharply last year, with an increase of 38.7%,
More than half of all homes completed last year were located in Dublin or the surrounding counties of Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow, reports RTE.
By electoral area, Clondalkin in Dublin recorded the highest number of housing completions in 2025.
The 20% rise in home construction last year will be welcomed by the Government, which has faced growing political pressure amid increasing homelessness, soaring property prices and rapidly rising rents, reports RTE.
However, analysts note that between 50,000 and 60,000 homes must be built annually to properly address the housing shortage.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the level of housing completions as very significant, reports RTE.
He said, however, that he accepted the figures remain insufficient and that further action is required to raise output to 50,000 homes a year and sustain that level for a decade to meet population growth.
The Construction Industry Federation’s Director of Housing, Conor O’Connell, said the sector was “slightly taken by surprise” by the figure of 36,000 completions, reports RTE.
“I think most people were estimating, including the Central Bank and the ESRI, a figure of around 34,000,” he said, reports RTE.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News At One programme, he said this demonstrated a positive response from the house-building and residential construction sectors to a range of initiatives and schemes introduced in recent years to boost housing supply, reports RTE.
Deloitte Chief Economist Kate English said the first half of 2026 will be the key test of the Government’s housing policy, noting that at least 20,000 completions are needed by mid-year to stay on track with targets.
“If we don’t see an improvement in the first half of 2026, then it’s certain that 2026 will be another year of missed Government targets. We need to see a rise in both housing commencements and completions figures if there is to be any confidence from people in Ireland,” Kate English said, reports RTE.
She pointed out that December recorded 3,065 housing starts, the only month in 2025 to exceed 2,000 units, with apartment developments playing a major role in driving the increase.
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