A SIGN OF PROGRESS
Minister Browne has welcomed a 13% increase in home completions in the first nine months of 2025
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne has welcomed the increased home completions reflected in figures from the CSO’s New Dwelling Completions Report for Q3 2025. According to the report, a total of 24,325 new homes were completed between January and September, representing a 13% increase on the same period last year. This marks the highest number of completions recorded in the first three-quarters of any year since the CSO began recording this data series in 2011. In Q3 alone (July to September), 9,235 new dwellings were completed, a 4% rise compared to the same quarter in 2024.
Commenting on the figures, Minister Browne said: “Supply remains central to addressing the challenges in housing and today’s figures are a welcome sign of progress. These new homes will make a real and lasting difference for the families and individuals who will live in them.
“While the data is encouraging, we cannot and will not be complacent. I am driving on to accelerate delivery to ensure even greater progress in the months ahead. The recent Budget committed a record level of funding to housing delivery, reflecting the Government’s determination to tackle the housing crisis. But funding alone is not enough. We’ve introduced planning reforms to accelerate development timelines, implemented targeted measures to boost rental supply and attract investment, and launched new supports to assist both homebuyers and renters. Our forthcoming housing plan will provide fresh momentum to increase home delivery and help more people access secure, affordable housing.”
Other highlights from the CSO data include:
• Apartment completions in Q3 2025 stood at 3,160, up 3% on the same quarter in 2024
• There were 4,551 scheme dwelling completions in Q3 2025, an increase of 1% from Q3 2024
• The number of single dwellings completed in Q3 2025 was 1,524, up 15% from Q3 2024
• Almost half of completions (49%) were scheme dwellings, 34% were apartments, and 17% were single dwellings
• The Local Electoral Area (LEA) with the most completions in Q3 2025 was Clondalkin at 640
• There was a fall of 4% in seasonally adjusted new dwelling completions from Q2 2025 to Q3 2025.
Regional Breakdown
Five of the eight regions of Ireland saw a rise in completions from Q3 2024 to Q3 2025. The region with the largest relative increase in completions was the mid-east region (Louth, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow) at 35%, up to 1,776 in Q3 2025 from 1,317 in Q3 2024.
More than three in 10 (36%) completions in Q3 2025 were in Dublin, with 19% in the mid-east region. For Q3 2025, almost eight in 10 (79%) apartment completions were in Dublin (2,496). In Dublin city, 97% of completions in the quarter were apartments.
The most scheme dwelling completions were in the mid-east region at 1,335 in Q3 2025. The south-west region (Cork city, Cork county and Kerry) had the most single dwelling completions at 252 in Q3 2025. The most completions in Q3 2025 by Local Electoral Area (LEA) were in Clondalkin at 640.
Student accommodation
There has been a significant level of construction output in the student accommodation sector. These are generally connected to the ESB Network as commercial connections and are therefore not included in the ESB domestic connections dataset used for the new dwelling completions. Further to this, the data available on this sector is on a “bed space” basis and it is not currently possible to report on it as dwellings, which are self-contained units of living accommodation. Based on consultation with stakeholders in this sector, student accommodation may be included in future new dwelling completions reports as a separate category. Information on completed student bed spaces is provided by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). They have detailed to the CSO that there were 311 new bed spaces completed in Q3 2025.
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Michael McDonnell Managing Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine & Plan Magazine