New home completions rise 33% in early 2026, CSO figures show

More than half of the homes built were 'scheme' dwellings, where multiple houses are built together in an estate. File picture: Dan Linehan

The number of new homes built in Ireland surged in the first three months of 2026, rising by 33% to 7,856, new figures show.

The Central Statistics Office said the number of homes built across January, February and March was the highest first-quarter total since it began collating these figures in 2011.

“There were 2,355 apartment completions in Q1 2026, which was up 33.3% on the same quarter in 2025,” said Steven Conroy, a statistician with the CSO.

“Nearly a third (32.3%) of completions in Q1 2026 were in Dublin, with less than a fifth (18.7%) in the Mid-East region (Louth, Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow).” 

All parts of the country saw a rise in the number of homes built between the first three months of 2025 and 2026, with Cork and Kerry seeing a 54% increase.

The Local Electoral Area with the most completions in Q1 2026 was Clondalkin in Dublin, with 518 homes completed.

More than half of the homes built were “scheme” dwellings, where multiple houses are built together in an estate, while 30% were apartments and a further 18% were one-off homes.

The CSO data also suggests that over three-quarters (78%) of new apartment completions were in cities, while a similar majority (82%) of one-off homes were in rural areas.

The data does not provide a breakdown of who is buying these homes or what proportion are social or affordable, though housing experts have consistently said only a fraction of new homes reach the open market for prospective owner-occupiers.

Kevin Timoney, chief economist with Davy, said the figures show house completions growing strongly but falling short of its forecast of 9,660 for the quarter.

“We think adverse weather conditions, especially in February which saw an unusually high level of rainfall, explains the lower-than-expected figures, with one of the wettest Februarys on record,” he said.

“We continue to see a strong pipeline of new housing delivery this year and next, supported by a high level of commencements in 2024 and subsequent policy efforts to address infrastructure shortfalls along with bottlenecks in housing delivery, including those related to delivery costs.” 

In a trading update coinciding with the CSO release, Cairn Homes said it is firmly positioned to achieve significant growth and deliver 6,000 homes in the next two years.

“We remain alert to the conflict in the Middle East and any further inflationary pressures that may result as the year progresses, however, as things stand today we do not expect there to be a material impact on our full year outlook," it said.

Meanwhile, the latest housing completion numbers were welcomed by the Government, after recent years were frequently marked by disappointing figures and missed targets.

Housing minister James Browne said they “demonstrate real and sustained progress” as momentum builds.

“This Government is focused on maintaining this progress, making whatever changes are necessary and pushing forward to ensure continued growth in housing supply for all those who need it," he said.