Luanda, March 31, 2026 (Lusa) - Angola approved 866 building permits in 2025, a 47% drop from 1,633 in 2024, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) released on Tuesday.

The decline follows a five-year peak recorded in 2024, the highest level during the Survey on Approved Permits for Building Construction (ILACE), which tracks construction activity across the country.

New constructions accounted for 96.54% of the 866 approved permits, with only 19 for renovations and 11 for alterations. Housing and commerce remained the primary targets for these works.

Family housing led the approvals with 721 permits (83), followed by commerce with 97 permits (11%).

Churches, car parks or garages, and private schools each received over 1% of the permits.

Hotels, restaurants, offices, and hospitals or clinics each recorded figures below 0.5%.

Authorities issued 810 permits to individuals, representing 93.53% of the total.

Private companies ranked second with 26 permits, followed by housing cooperatives with 13. The government and non-profit institutions received seven permits each.

Despite the lower number of permits, the total licenced gross area grew to around 1.4 million square metres, compared to just under 1.16 million in 2024, suggesting a trend towards larger projects.

Family housing accounted for 788,661 square metres (m2), which was about 57% of the total area, while individuals accounted for 896,407 square metres (more than 64%).

Cuanza Sul province led with 264 permits, followed by Zaire with 101 and Luanda with 75.

Regarding licenced gross area, Benguela led with 366,592 m2, followed by Malanje with 240,780 square metres, Luanda with 156,594 m2, and Cuanza Sul with 156,006 m2.

RCR/LYT // ADB.

Lusa