Residential Building Permits: Q1/2026
- During the first quarter of 2026, 504 building permits for a total of 3,010 new dwellings were approved.
- When compared to the same quarter of 2025, the number of approved new dwellings increased by 40.5 per cent.
- The number of new dwellings approved in Malta increased by 47.2 per cent, while those in Gozo and Comino went up by 6.0 per cent when compared to the first quarter of 2025.
- Apartments made up 72.1 per cent of the total number of approved new dwellings.
- The highest number of approved new dwellings (322) was registered in Tas-Sliema.
Residential Building Permits: Q1/2026
Residential Building Permits: Q1/2026
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 first quarter of 2026, 504 building permits for a total of 3,010 new dwellings were approved (Map 1 and Chart 1). When compared to the corresponding quarter of 2025, the number of building permits and approved new dwellings increased by 18.6 per cent and 40.5 per cent, respectively. The average number of approved new dwellings per building permit stood at 6.0 (Chart 1).
Map 1. Number of approved new dwellings by locality (LAU 2): Q1/2026
Note: Għajnsielem and Comino are classified as one locality. However, no building permits were approved in Comino.
Approved new dwellings by type
The majority of new dwellings approved during the first quarter of 2026 were apartments (2,171), followed by penthouses (459), maisonettes (245), terraced houses (107) and other residential units1 (28) (Table 1). Apartments accounted for 72.1 per cent of the total number of approved new dwellings (Chart 2).
1 “Other” dwelling type includes bungalows, farmhouses and villas.
Approved new dwellings by district
When compared to the corresponding quarter of 2025, the number of new dwellings approved in Malta increased by 47.2 per cent, while those in Gozo and Comino went up by 6.0 per cent. The highest number of approved new dwellings was registered in the Northern Harbour district (1,080), while the lowest number was recorded in the Western district (213) (Table 2).
Approved new dwellings by locality
The highest number of approved new dwellings was issued for Tas-Sliema (322). This was followed by San Pawl Il-Baħar (171), Birkirkara (154), Il-Mosta (149) and Ħal Qormi (126) (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).
Methodological Notes
