House prices, as measured by the House Price Index, increased by 6.6% year-on-year in Romania in the first quarter of this year, above the 4.5% increase registered in the euro area and the 4.7% growth in the EU, according to data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Compared with the fourth quarter of 2017, house prices rose by 0.6% in the euro area and by 0.7% in the EU in the first quarter of 2018. In Romania, the increase was of 2.1%.

Among the Member States, the highest annual increases in house prices in the first quarter of 2018 were recorded in Latvia (13.7%), Slovenia (13.4%), Ireland (12.3%) and Portugal (12.2%). On the other hand, the biggest decreases were registered in Sweden and Italy (both -0.4%), and in Finland (-0.1%).

Number of residential building permits, up 10.3% in Romania in four months

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com