Ireland completes 10,154 new homes in third quarter, up 10.4% on 2025

Third-quarter completions

The Central Statistics Office counted 10,154 new dwelling completions between July and September 2026, a rise of 10.4% on the same quarter of 2025. Over the first nine months of the year, completions reached 26,833, up 10.6% on the same period last year and compared with 24,256 homes finished in that period of 2025. TheJournal.ie gave the nine-month total as 26,883, a figure that differs from the CSO number carried by the other outlets. By type, scheme dwellings numbered 5,163 (up 13.5%), apartments 3,464 (up 9.8%) and single houses 1,527 (up 2.1%). Schemes made up 51% of the quarter's completions, apartments 34% and single dwellings 15%. The CSO counts completions through connections to the electricity grid.

Scheme dwellings5,163

Apartments3,464

Single dwellings1,527

Scheme dwellings

5163 homes

Apartments

3464 homes

Single dwellings

1527 homes

Data from the article text

Where the homes were built

Dublin accounted for 37% of completions, and 67% of the quarter's apartments were in the capital, where 87% of completions were apartments. The West, covering Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, posted the largest relative increase at 33%, followed by the South-East at 24% and the South-West, which includes Cork and Kerry, at 22%. The Mid-West (Clare, Limerick and Tipperary) fell 8%, and the Border region (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo) dropped 6%. Clondalkin in County Dublin recorded the most completions of any local electoral area, at 476, while Cork City South East recorded 288.

West33%

South-East24%

South-West22%

Mid-West-8%

Border-6%

West

33 %

South-East

24 %

South-West

22 %

Mid-West

-8 %

Border

-6 %

Data from the article text

Forecasts and the gap to need

Economists have forecast between 39,000 and 40,000 homes to be built in 2026. The Central Bank's latest forecast is 39,500 completions this year, a downward revision of 500 units on its previous forecast, while the ESRI expects 40,000 this year and 43,000 in 2027. Completions over the 12 months to the end of September total 38,589, and last year's full-year figure was 36,284. Pent-up housing demand has been estimated at between 250,000 and 300,000 homes. Kate English, chief economist at Deloitte Ireland, said the figures put the country on track for its highest number of completions in 2026 since 2008, but that this is still some distance from the 50,000 to 60,000 homes Ireland is forecast to need.

“Almost one year from the Housing Plan launch, the challenge now is turning this progress into a sustained increase in supply.”

Political response

Housing Minister James Browne welcomed the figures and said the government's policies were translating into progress on the ground. He added that he was taking nothing for granted and would keep acting to increase supply.

“It is once again greatly encouraging to see record numbers of homes being completed as we approach the end of the year.”

Browne has not set a target for completions this year. Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said the figures showed the government was still on course to miss its goal of 300,000 homes built between 2025 and 2030, and argued the housing plan does not address the underlying shortfall in output.