THE NUMBER OF new homes completed in Ireland rose sharply in the first three months of the year, but overall delivery still remains far short of what is needed to meet the government’s housing targets.

Figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that 7,856 new dwellings were completed between January and March, an increase of 32.9% compared with the same period in 2025.

It’s the highest number of first-quarter completions since the CSO began tracking the quarterly figures in 2011.

Despite the rise, this represents just over 2% of the government’s five-year target of more than 300,000 homes by 2030, which averages out at around 60,000 homes per year.

Distributed evenly, around 15,000 new homes would need to be built every three months to meet this target.

Scheme housing (usually part of a larger multi-unit development or housing estate) accounted for just over half of all completions in the quarter (52%), with apartments making up 30% and single dwellings 18%.

All three categories recorded year-on-year growth, with scheme housing up 34.5%, apartments up 33.3% and single homes up 27.8%.

There was also growth across all regions, with the Border region recording the strongest increase at 58%, followed by the South-West at 54%.

Dublin accounted for just over a third of all housing completions nationally.

Clondalkin in west Dublin recorded the highest number of completions of any Local Electoral Area, with 518 homes delivered in the quarter.

CSO statistician Steven Conroy said the figures show “continued growth” in housing delivery, noting that completions typically build through the year, with the first quarter usually accounting for a relatively small share of annual output.

Housing Minister James Browne welcomed the figures, saying they reflected “real and sustained progress” in home building.

“The record level of completions in the first quarter of this year, combined with more than 8,400 new homes starting construction during the same period, demonstrates real and sustained progress,” Browne said.

He added that while the figures were positive, the government would continue to take further steps to increase supply.

Davy chief economist Kevin Timoney said the data pointed to strong underlying momentum in the sector, despite coming in below his forecast.

He said adverse weather conditions in February may have impacted construction activity, describing it as “one of the wettest Februarys on record”.

Timoney added that the outlook for the year remained positive, supported by a strong pipeline of commencements in 2024 and ongoing efforts to address infrastructure and delivery constraints.