South Africa Building Plans Plummet in December

2026-02-19 11:45 By Luisa Carvalho 1 min. read

The value of building plans approved in South Africa slipped by 14.3% year-on-year to ZAR 6002 million in December 2025, marking the steepest decline since April 2025, after a revised 5.7% rise in November.

Decreases were seen in permits for non-residential buildings (-46%) and additions & alterations (-12.4%), contrasting with a 3.7% increase for residential buildings.

In 2025, the value of plans passed dropped by 2.6% to approximately 99066 million.



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South Africa Building Plans Plummet in December
The value of building plans approved in South Africa slipped by 14.3% year-on-year to ZAR 6002 million in December 2025, marking the steepest decline since April 2025, after a revised 5.7% rise in November. Decreases were seen in permits for non-residential buildings (-46%) and additions & alterations (-12.4%), contrasting with a 3.7% increase for residential buildings. In 2025, the value of plans passed dropped by 2.6% to approximately 99066 million.
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South Africa Building Plans Recover in November
The value of building plans approved in South Africa rebounded by 5.8% year-on-year to ZAR 9332 million in November 2025, following an upwardly revised 6.9% decline in October. This was the highest level for a November month since 2023, as permits increased for both residential projects (14.9% vs -7.6%) and additions & alterations (7% vs 4.4%). On the other hand, approvals for the non-residential segment continued to shrink (-16.4% vs -16.1%)
2026-01-22
South Africa Building Plans Decline
The value of building plans approved in South Africa sank 6.9% year-on-year to ZAR 9572 million in October 2025, following an upwardly revised 2% increase in September. It marks the first annual decline in three months, with permits for non-residential buildings sinking 16.1% and those for residential declining 7.7%.
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