A total of 2,453 new dwellings were approved between April and June of this year, registering an increase of 9.5 per cent when compared to the same quarter last year, national data shows.

In a statement on Monday, the National Statistics Office said the 2,453 dwellings were approved through 494 building permits.

Building permits are authorisations to initiate new building projects. The objective of these statistics is to indicate the future development of construction activity in terms of the number of approved new dwellings, the NSO clarified.

When compared to the corresponding quarter of 2022, the number of building permits increased by 12.8 per cent while the number of approved new dwellings increased by 9.5 per cent. The average number of approved new dwellings per building permit stood at five.

The majority of new dwellings approved during the second quarter of 2023 were apartments (1,740), followed by penthouses (386), maisonettes (222), terraced houses (81) and other residential units (24).

Apartments accounted for 70.9 per cent of the total number of approved new dwellings.

The data shows that the number of new dwellings approved in Malta increased by 18.7 per cent while those in Gozo and Comino decreased by 24.6 per cent.

The highest number of approved new dwellings was registered in the Northern Harbour district (642) while the lowest number was recorded in the Western district (152).

The highest number of approved new dwellings were issued in St Paul's Bay, followed by Mosta, Qormi, Mellieħa and Msida.

Graphic: National Statistics Office