The total was also a big improvement on the 5,938 completions of the first quarter of the year, according to new data released by the Central Statistics Office.
Apartment completions in Q2 stood at 3,053, more than double the number built in the same quarter of last year, reflecting an uptick in a sector which developers have regarded as uneconomic. There were 1,566 apartment completions in the second quarter of 2024.
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The year-on-year increase in completions of new dwellings was seen in six of the eight regions of Ireland, including an 85pc rise in Dublin to 3,822. More than eight in 10 of the apartment completions were in the capital city, and the CSO says that 97pc of all completions in the Dublin City Council area over the last three months were apartments.
The figures mean that the total number of new dwellings completed in the first half of 2025 is 15,149, on a non-seasonally adjusted basis.
The Government has an official target of 41,000 units this year, which it is standing by, although Housing Minister James Browne recently conceded that the aim is “not realistic”. It was set before the general election last year, at a time when the then Government was predicting up to 40,000 houses would be built in 2024. In the event, the number was 30,300.
Several independent bodies, such as the Central Bank and the ESRI, are predicting that output this year will be somewhere between 32,000 and 34,000.
Kate English, chief economist at Deloitte Ireland, said: “The completion figures confirm that there is practically zero possibility of reaching housing targets this year unless something remarkable happens in the second half of 2025. And an examination of commencement figures for the mid-way point of 2025 does not leave much room for optimism in 2026. The low commencement figures are concerning because this shows how our future pipeline is performing.”
She said that on a seasonally adjusted basis, the number of completions in the first six months of the year now stands at 16,871. “This is a rise of 20pc annually and is the highest opening half to the year in this development cycle.”
Ms English added: “The Deloitte Crane Survey 2025 estimated completions of just 33,000 homes this year, while the Government’s target is 41,000. A remarkable second half to the year would be required to meet the targets at this point, with Deloitte’s estimates looking more realistic.”
The Housing Minister has been pulling a variety of policy levers in a bid to improve construction output. Earlier this month he announced that big social housing projects being developed by local authorities will no longer have to go through a four-stage process to get approval and funding. This is being reduced to one stage.
Mr Browne also issued new design standards for apartments, reducing the minimum size allowed. They can now be as small as 32 sqm, and restrictions on the mix of apartment sizes in new developments have also been relaxed.
His department has said the changes should result in a saving of between €50,000 and €100,000 in the cost of building an average apartment. Developers who already have planning permission for apartments can now change their designs in line with the new regulations.
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