Ireland New Home Completions Rise 10.4% in Q3, CSO Figures Show

New home completions rose by 10.4% in the third quarter of the year, with 10,154 dwellings finished between July and September, according to figures published by the Central Statistics Office. That total includes a 13.5% increase in housing estates, a 9.8% rise in apartment builds, and a 2.1% increase in one-off houses, bringing the total for the past 12 months to 38,589 homes.

So far this year, 26,833 completions have been recorded, outpacing the 24,256 finished during the same period in 2025. Housebuilding traditionally peaks in the final months of the calendar year. Yet those accelerating numbers stand against a severe structural shortfall, as industry estimates peg pent-up national housing demand between 250,000 and 300,000 units.

Many analysts argue that annual output must climb well above 50,000 homes to meaningfully close that gap. Minister for Housing James Browne acknowledged the pressure while defending current state measures. “I am taking nothing for granted, but as a key indicator of where we are at, it demonstrates that our policies are translating into real progress on the ground, delivering more homes and putting keys in people’s hands,” Mr. Browne said.

Economists project between 39,000 and 40,000 new homes will be completed across 2026. Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin challenged the government’s trajectory, arguing that the administration remains off track to hit its formal 2026 and 2030 targets.

“The most optimistic projections for new home completions for this year estimate that around 40,000 new homes will be built,” Mr. Ó Broin said. “This is significantly off the annual average of 50,000 required to meet the overall target out to 2030. More importantly for every year that average is missed, the average for the remaining years increases further.”

Deloitte Ireland Chief Economist Kate English noted that 2026 is on course for the highest volume of completions since 2008. “Almost one year from the Housing Plan launch, the challenge now is turning this progress into a sustained increase in supply,” Ms. English said. At the same time, she warned that rising energy prices and renewed pressure on interest rates threaten construction sector margins. “With that in mind, the attempt to row back on Approved Housing Body delivery is premature and risks diminishing housing delivery overall. It is important we see continued efforts to deliver homes across all tenure types using all delivery channels,” she added.