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Published: 15/01/2026
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).
Monthly construction output hits lowest level in 19 months
Monthly construction output declined in November 2025, falling by 1.3% on October activity and reaching its lowest level since April 2024.
New work was down by 1.9% on the month, while R&M decreased by 0.4%.
The biggest monthly changes were in public new housing, down by 10.8%, and public housing R&M, down by 5.0%.
On an annual basis, total construction output fell by 1.1%. New work decreased by 2.2% in the 12 months ending in November 2025 while R&M rose by 0.4%.
In comparison to November 2024, the greatest new work increases were in public non-housing, which includes health and education projects and was up by 13.4%, and private industrial, up by 13.2%.
The largest year-on-year decrease was in new private commercial work which fell by 16.6%.
In R&M, public housing output fell by 13.0% on the year while private housing saw an increase of 3.0%.
| Sector | Output in November 2025 compared with | |
| October 2025 | November 2024 | |
| New work | ||
| Public housing | -10.8% | -7.4% |
| Private housing | -2.3% | -4.1% |
| Infrastructure | -0.9% | 2.9% |
| Public non-housing | -0.6% | 13.4% |
| Private industrial | -2.2% | 13.2% |
| Private commercial | 0.4% | -16.6% |
| All new work | -1.9% | -2.2% |
| Repair and maintenance | ||
| Public housing | -5.0% | -13.0% |
| Private housing | -2.5% | 3.0% |
| Non-housing | 2.5% | 1.5% |
| All R&M | -0.4% | 0.4% |
| All work | -1.3% | -1.1% |
Source: ONS – Construction output in Great Britain, volume, seasonally adjusted, by sector, Table 2a
Source: Construction output in Great Britain, volume, seasonally adjusted, by sector, Table 2a
Dr David Crosthwaite, chief economist at BCIS, said: ‘A 19-month low in construction output speaks to the culmination of Budget uncertainty, client and investor hesitancy and challenges in project viability at the tail end of 2025.
‘Significant downturns in public and private housebuilding activity are a major concern. It continues to suggest that conditions are not conducive for development to progress and underscores the sustained impact of decision-making delays in the planning system. Process reforms to the Building Safety Regulator are bedding in but capacity constraints in the wider planning system will likely require a more immediate solution than longer-term changes to national regulation.
‘Promisingly, the wider economy saw higher-than-expected growth in November. Interest rates and inflation are also softening which should hopefully prompt more positive sentiment among clients and investors. After months of disappointing results, these are the silver linings construction needs.’
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(1) Office for National Statistics – Output in the construction industry - here
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