Norway construction activity rises 0.2% in Q3 2026
Norwegian construction output rose 0.2% in the third quarter of 2026, with building work up 0.3% and civil engineering down 2.1%, Statistics Norway reported.
The facts
- Statistics Norway reported on 27 October 2026 that total construction activity rose +0.2% in the third quarter of 2026 against the second quarter, seasonally adjusted, on an index where 2021 equals 100.
- Construction of buildings rose 0.3% and specialised construction 0.7%, while civil engineering fell 2.1%, the weakest leg of the three.
- Inside civil engineering, other civil engineering works fell 10.7%, water, sewage, electricity and telecom construction 2.7% and road and railway building 1.5%.
- Month on month the total index rose 0.1% from August to September 2026, while September 2026 was -0.9% below September 2025.
- Statistics Norway also set the July-to-August month against neighbours: euro area construction production up 1.8%, Norway up 0.3%, Denmark unchanged and Sweden up 4.1%.
What it means for your money
- Builder capacity is not tightening, so build and refurbishment quotes should hold in the near term.
- Glopra's data puts the Norwegian average at USD 7,383 per square metre, 4.2% higher than a year ago, so prices are climbing while output is flat, the combination that eventually pulls construction costs up.
- For an owner already holding in Norway, a 2.1% drop in civil engineering against buildings still edging up places the slowdown in infrastructure rather than in housing supply.
What to watch
- Property transfer statistics for the third quarter of 2026 from Statistics Norway, scheduled for 29 October 2026.
- The price index for new dwellings for the third quarter of 2026, scheduled for 20 November 2026.
Sources: Statistics Norway https://www.ssb.no/bygg-bolig-og-eiendom/bygg-og-anlegg/statistikk/produksjonsindeks-for-bygge-og-anleggsvirksomhet/artikler/aktivitet-i-bygge-og-anleggsnaringen