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Published: 13/03/2026
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes monthly estimates of the amount of construction output chargeable to customers for building and civil engineering work in Great Britain, split by sector and type of work(1).
Construction output starts 2026 on a slower footing
Monthly construction output grew in January 2026, rising by 0.2% on December, according to the latest ONS data
New work was down by 2.0% on the month, while R&M increased by 3.3%.
The biggest monthly changes were in private new housing, down by 5.6%, and non-housing R&M, up by 5.0%.
On an annual basis, total construction output fell by 0.2%. New work decreased by 3.3% in the 12 months ending in January 2026 while R&M rose by 4.3%.
In comparison to January 2025, the only new work increase was in public non-housing, which includes health and education projects and was up by 8.3%.
The largest year-on-year decrease was in private new housing which saw a 10.7% decline.
In R&M, public housing output fell by 3.4% on the year while private housing works saw an increase of 7.3%.
| Sector | Output in January 2026 compared with | |
| December 2025 | January 2026 | |
| New work | ||
| Public housing | -1.2% | -3.3% |
| Private housing | -5.6% | -10.7% |
| Infrastructure | -1.9% | -0.1% |
| Public non-housing | -0.9% | 8.3% |
| Private industrial | -0.9% | -0.3% |
| Private commercial | 2.2% | -2.7% |
| All new work | -2.0% | -3.3% |
| Repair and maintenance | ||
| Public housing | -2.1% | -3.4% |
| Private housing | 2.9% | 7.3% |
| Non-housing | 5.0% | 3.7% |
| All R&M | 3.3% | 4.3% |
| All work | 0.2% | -0.2% |
Source: ONS – Source: ONS – Output in the construction industry, Table 2a
Source: ONS – Output in the construction industry, Table 2a
BCIS chief economist, Dr David Crosthwaite said, ‘The sharp fall in new work softened construction output at the start of the year. On the month, the only area of new work to see growth between December and January was in the private commercial sector. Housing output was largely down across the board with the exception of private repair and maintenance work.
‘The results likely reflect a combination of impacts, including wet weather conditions, seasonal trends and the lingering effect of deferred investment decisions linked to Budget uncertainty. The concern for the sector is that these disappointing results come before the effects of the Middle East crisis have been factored in. The likelihood is that any supply chain disruption and broader uncertainty will feed through into stalled client decision-making and cost inflation.’
The weaker start to the year follows 1.8% growth in total construction output in 2025 compared with 2024.
This came despite a 2.1% decline in output in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared with the previous quarter, driven by a 2.6% fall in new work.
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(1) Office for National Statistics – Output in the construction industry - here
