Residential properties: Number of new apartments in 2024

Breaks in the fight against housing shortage and rising rents: The number of apartments completed in Germany broke out last year. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 251,900 apartments were built – 14.4 percent or 42,500 apartments less than in the previous year. “That was the first significant decline after the number of completed apartments was 294,000 each from 2021 to 2023,” said the statisticians.

The reason for the long -lasting doldrums on the construction are strongly increased interest rates and construction costs. Many house builders therefore refrained from their plans, investors held back. Previously, the number of new apartments had increased from its low of 159,000 in 2009 to the previous high of 306,400 in 2020.

The new government wants to ignite “housing construction turbo”

According to experts, hundreds of thousands of apartments are missing in Germany. The former traffic light government of the SPD, the Greens and FDP had repeatedly missed its own goal of 400,000 new apartments annually. Since the lack of housing in the cities intensifies the construction of a doldrum, many experts continue to expect rental rents and real estate prices.

More new apartments are also the declared goal of the new federal government. Minister of construction Verena Hubertz (SPD) has announced a “residential building turbo”. It wants to accelerate approval procedures, advance modern construction methods and enable the designation of more building land.

Construction industry slowly draws hope

The construction industry is only slowly improving in housing construction. The numbers are still catastrophic, said Peter Hübner, President of the main association of the German construction industry (HDB). However, the new business with residential loans in 2024 grew by almost a quarter. “The positive trend continued at the beginning of 2025 and could be a first tentative sign that the valley sole in the new apartment is slowly reached.”