Recent Trends in the French Construction Sector – January 2026

France Construction sector

FRANCE: According to the latest report from the Tendances récentes du bâtiment – Janvier 2026 (FFBâtiment), the French building industry shows signs of recovery in new construction, despite ongoing challenges. Between September and November 2025, both housing starts and planning permissions rose by over 20%, driven by increases in individual and collective housing projects. Non-residential construction also grew, with a near 13% rise in new surface areas started, though approvals increased only slightly.

However, the improvement in maintenance and renovation activity continued to lag, declining by around 1.3% over the same period. Overall, total construction output remained in modest decline year-on-year at about 2.2% in constant prices, indicating a slow but uneven upturn in the sector.

Source: FFB