Hungary Construction Output Decline Eases in June

Hungary’s construction output fell by 1.2% year-on-year in June 2026, easing sharply from a 10.7% decline in the previous month. The decline was driven by a 5.5% contraction in building construction from 4.6% increase in May. Meanwhile output in other construction increased 5.6% from slumping 14.9% in the previous month, supported by a 28.3% rise in civil engineering, mainly due to a 49.6% expansion in road and railway construction. Meanwhile, production in specialised construction, the industry’s largest segment, rose 0.6% from a year earlier. On a seasonally and working-day adjusted monthly basis, construction activity fell by 3.9% in June, following the previous month’s increase. In the first half of 2026, total construction output declined by 0.7% compared with the same period a year earlier.

Hungary’s construction output fell by 10.7% year-on-year in May 2026, following a 2.6% rise in the previous month. This marked the weakest reading since January, as production in civil engineering works plunged 21.9% from a 13.9% increase, driven mainly by a 46.2% contraction in road and railway construction, which reduced the overall performance of the civil engineering segment by 38 percentage points. Meanwhile, output in building construction contracted at a slower pace at 4.2%, easing from a 6.2% decline in April, as a 12.4% increase in specialised construction activities, the industry's largest segment, partially offset a 19.1% drop in building construction and a 34.9% slump in civil engineering output. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, construction activity dropped by 6.5% in May, following a 6.9% increase in the preceding period. For the Janury–May period, the total volume of construction fell by 4.3% compared to the same period a year earlier.

Hungary’s construction output rose by 2.6% year-on-year in April 2026, easing from a 3.9% increase in the previous month. Production in building constructions plunged 6.2% from a 4.4% gain, weighed down by a decline in building activity. Among the divisions of construction, output in the construction of buildings was 11.6% lower than a year earlier, while output in civil engineering rose by 19.2%, and output in specialised construction activities, which have the largest weight within the construction sector, increased by 4.4%. Meanwhile, output grew for civil engineering works, driven mainly by a 47.6% increase in the volume of road and railway construction, contributing almost 30 percentage points to the division’s performance. For the January–April period, the total volume of construction output fell by 2.2% compared to the same period a year earlier.