News Releases

Residential Building Permits: Q4/2024  

NR028/2025
Release Date: 20 February 2025
Cut-off Date: 31 December 2024

Architecture plans of a building with Small model house on top of blueprints, pen, ruler and notebook
  • During the last quarter of 2024, 417 building permits for a total of 2,259 new dwellings were approved.
  • When compared to the same quarter of 2023, the number of approved new dwellings increased by 74.8 per cent.
  • When compared to Q4 2023, the number of new dwellings approved in Malta increased by 78.5 per cent, while those in Gozo and Comino went up by 54.8 per cent.
  • Apartments made up 71.5 per cent of the total number of approved new dwellings.
  • The highest number of approved new dwellings (156) was registered in San Pawl Il-Baħar.

Residential Building Permits: Q4/2024

Residential Building Permits: Q4/2024

NR028/2025
Release Date: 20 February 2025
Cut-off Date: 31 December 2024

During the fourth quarter of 2024 a total of 2,259 new dwellings were approved, registering an increase of 74.8 per cent when compared to the same quarter of 2023.
Architecture plans of a building with Small model house on top of blueprints, pen, ruler and notebook

Approved residential building permits and dwellings

Building permits are authorisations to initiate new building projects. The objective of these statistics is to indicate the future development of construction activity in terms of the number of approved new dwellings.

 

During the last quarter of 2024, 417 building permits for a total of 2,259 new dwellings were approved (Map 1 and Chart 1). When compared to the corresponding quarter of 2023, the number of building permits and approved new dwellings increased by 29.9 per cent and 74.8 per cent, respectively. The average number of approved new dwellings per building permit stood at 5.4 (Chart 1).

Map 1. Number of approved new dwellings, by locality (LAU 2): Q4/2024

Note: Għajnsielem and Comino are classified as one locality. However, no building permits were approved in Comino.

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Approved new dwellings by type

The majority of new dwellings approved during the fourth quarter of 2024 were apartments (1,615), followed by penthouses (349), maisonettes (207), terraced houses (52) and other residential units1 (36) (Table 1). Apartments accounted for 71.5 per cent of the total number of approved new dwellings (Chart 2).

1 “Other” dwellings type includes bungalows, farmhouses and villas.

Chart 2. Distribution of approved new dwellings by type

Approved new dwellings by district

When compared to the corresponding quarter of 2023, the number of new dwellings approved in Malta increased by 78.5 per cent, while those in Gozo and Comino went up by 54.8 per cent. The highest number of approved new dwellings was registered in the Northern Harbour district (660) while the lowest number was recorded in the Western district (223) (Table 2).

Approved new dwellings by locality

The highest number of approved new dwellings was issued for San Pawl Il-Baħar (156). This was followed by Il-Mellieħa (134), Birkirkara (122), Is-Swieqi (116) and Iż-Żejtun (114) (Chart 3).

2 Only the top 35 localities are shown in Chart 3. The full list of approved new dwellings by locality may be viewed in the corresponding excel sheet (Table 3).

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Methodological Notes

1. The data source of this news release is the Maltese Planning Authority. It includes approved building permits for the:
●  construction of approved new dwellings
●  change of use from non-residential buildings to residential ones
 
2. Building permits for dwelling extensions, restorations, alterations, or demolitions that have no effect on the number of new dwellings are not included in this news release.
 
3. Definitions:
● Building permit: An authorisation to start work on a building project. It can include more than one approved new dwelling.
● Dwelling: A room or suite of rooms and its accessories in a permanent building or structurally separated part thereof which by the way it has been built, rebuilt and converted, is intended for private habitation.
 
4.  More information relating to this news release may be accessed at:
European statistics comparable to data in this news release.
 
5. For further assistance please submit your query through the online request form.
 
6. References to this news release are to be cited appropriately. For guidance on access and re-use of data please visit our dedicated webpage.
 
7. A detailed news release calendar is available online.
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