Romania

Romania

Overall construction activity

In 2020, Romania’s GDP amounted to €215 billion - 96.1% of 2019’s value. The corona crisis affected the construction industry with projects facing supply problems, delays in planning and new measures to ensure the health and safety of workers.

Total net investment in 2020 amounted to €21.9  billion, almost the same value compared to 2019. In current prices, the value of  net investment rose by 0.1% compared to 2019. In 2020, net investment in new construction works stood at € 11.9 billion, 9.3% higher than in 2019. Investment in new construction represented 54.5% of the total, compared to 50.1% in 2019.

In 2020, construction represented 6.3% of GDP (6.4% in 2019). The activity level in 2020 is estimated to stand at €11.8 billion compared to €10.9 billion in 2019, an increase of 10.3%. During the first 11 months of 2020, the volume of construction works increased by 16.7% compared to the same period of 2019. New constructions increased by 8.4%, maintenance and repairs by 30% and capital repairs by 50%.

Despite the increase in the volume of activity, the average number of employees in construction registered a decrease of 23% (303,000 in 2020 compared to 394,000 in 2019). 72,000 jobs were lost in 2020.


Housebuilding

During the first 11 months, the volume of works increased by 18.8 % compared to the similar period in 2019. The number of building permits granted in 2020 amounted to 48,553 compared to 50,496 in 2019 out of which 41,695 were permits for residential and 6,858 for non-residential buildings. In 2020, 67,816 houses were built, 62.3% in urban areas and 37.7% in rural areas.

GDP 2020

213
BILLION

POPULATION 2020

19240000

Total investment in construction in 2020

28
BILLION

Non-residential construction

The volume of non-residential works registered an increase of 10.9% compared to 2019. 120 building permits have been issued for administrative buildings and 6,738 for other buildings.

Civil engineering

Civil engineering works registered an increase of 18.5%.

The following  projects  were finalised in 2020:

Highways:

  • A3 Biharia-Bors (5.3 km)
  • A3 Iernut –Chetani (18 km)
  • A7 Bacau belt (16 km)
  • A10 Sebes-Turda  Sector 1 (15 km)
  • A3 Rasnov-Cristian (6.3 km)

Bucharest Subway Line M5 and 10 stations (7 km).

Per cent variation of investment in real terms on previous year
investment Mln. € fixed prices
  Sectors 2020a 2017 2018 2019 2020a 2021b
1. Building 8,622 34.8 -5.4 48.7 10.4 N/A
    1.1. Housebuilding 5,585 108.7 -16.8 35.4 62.4 N/A
       1.1.1. New 3,998 156.6 -31.4 43.9 47.9 N/A
       1.1.2. Renovation 1,587 -20.8 111.2 9.8 118.6 N/A
    1.2. Non residential (c) 4,880 -5.8 8.5 61.1 11.6 N/A
       1.2.1. Private 4,733 -6.7 8.4 60.9 12.2 N/A
       1.2.2. Public 147 29.7 10.8 64.1 -2.6 N/A
2. Civil Engineering 6,138 -14.9 27.0 30.6 15.7 N/A
(1 + 2) Total Construction 14,760 11.1 6.4 40.8 12.5 N/A
a: estimate - b: forecast - c: incl. R&M
Number of building permits in residential construction
 
  2017 2018 2019 2020a 2021b
single dwelling 41,612 42,694 38,901 38,430 42,510
collective dwelling 195 147 134 39 50
other types of dwelling N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Total 41,807 42,841 39,035 38,469 42,560
(Collective dwellings and other types of buildings: in number of flats)