Cork bucks national trend with fewer house completions

Cork county is bucking the national trend with a decrease in housing completions compared to last year, according to new CSO data.

The CSO published their New Dwelling Completions Report for Q3 2025 which shows that 1,042 homes were completed in Cork in the last three months.

Nationally, a total of 24,325 new homes were completed between January and September, a 13% increase on the same period last year.

Cork saw a smaller overall increase of 3.5% since this time last year, with a 30% increase in Cork city offset by a 10% decrease in Cork county.

In Q3, from July to September, 1,042 new homes were completed, 495 in Cork city and 547 in Cork county. This marks an increase from 306 in Q3 2024 in the city, but a decrease from 679 in the county.

The CSO data also provides a breakdown on the housing types completed, and found that the majority in both Cork local authorities were houses as part of a housing scheme: 369 of these dwellings were completed in Cork city and 365 in Cork county.

Cork county also saw 163 single houses completed, while this number was just 15 in Cork city. In contrast, 111 apartments were completed in Cork city and 19 in Cork county during the three-month period.

This marks a marginal increase in apartment completions from this time last year, with 130 completed compared to 128 across Cork, a 1.5% rise. Nationally, apartment completions in Q3 2025 stood at 3,160, up 3% on the same quarter in 2024.

Commenting on the figures, housing minister James Browne said: “Supply remains central to addressing the challenges in housing and the figures are a welcome sign of progress. The new homes will make a real and lasting difference for the families and individuals who will live in them.

“While the data is encouraging, we cannot and will not be complacent. I am driving on to accelerate delivery to ensure even greater progress in the months ahead.

“The recent budget committed a record level of funding to housing delivery, reflecting the Government’s determination to tackle the housing crisis. But funding alone is not enough.

“We’ve introduced planning reforms to accelerate development timelines, implemented targeted measures to boost rental supply and attract investment, and launched new supports to assist both homebuyers and renters.

“Our forthcoming housing plan will provide fresh impetus to increase home delivery for people to access secure, affordable housing.”