Angola approved 866 building construction permits in 2025, a 47% drop compared to 1,633 in 2024, according to data released today by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
The decline follows a peak in 2024, which was the highest level in the past five years, according to the Survey on Approved Building Construction Permits (ILACE).
New constructions accounted for 96.54% of the 866 permits, with only 19 permits for renovations and 11 for alterations. Residential and commercial projects dominated the approvals.
Family housing was the main purpose, with 721 permits (83.26% of the total), followed by commercial buildings with 97 permits (11.20%). Churches received 1.85%, parking lots or garages 1.39%, and private schools or colleges 1.27%. Hotels and restaurants, offices, and hospitals or clinics each accounted for less than 0.5%.
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Most permits were issued to individuals, totaling 810 permits (93.53%), followed by private companies with 26, housing cooperatives with 13, the government with seven, and non-profit institutions also with seven.
Despite fewer permits, the total licensed gross area increased to 1,392,789 square meters, up from 1,157,952 in 2024, suggesting a trend toward larger projects. In gross area terms, family housing accounted for 788,661 m² (56.62%), while individual owners concentrated 896,407 m² (64.36% of the total).
By province, Cuanza Sul led in number of permits with 264 (30.48%), followed by Zaire with 101 (11.66%) and Luanda with 75 (8.66%). In terms of gross area, Benguela led with 366,592 m² (26.32%), followed by Malanje with 240,780 m² (17.29%), Luanda with 156,594 m² (11.24%), and Cuanza Sul with 156,006 m² (11.20%).
