The housing construction rose by 25.5% in the first three months of the year. About 11,590 homes were completed in Romania during this period, up 2,358 compared to the first three months of 2015.

Almost six in ten new homes were built in urban areas, according to the National Statistics Institute (INS). All regions in Romania saw increases in the number of new homes in the first quarter of the year, except for the Bucharest area.

Romania had 20 million inhabitants, 7.1 million households and 8.88 million homes at the beginning of this year. This means that the country had a surplus of 1.7 million homes.

Last year, 47,000 new homes were built, but 5,200 were demolished and 500 houses changed their destinations. The number of new homes with one, two or three rooms has been increasing whereas the number of larger apartments has shrunk.

editor@romania-insider.com