Market Research

Published 14 Apr 2026Updated 16 Sept 20263 min read

How many homes are built in Australia each year?

Timber frames rise beside a newly paved road at a residential construction site in Australia.

Published 14 Apr 2026 · Updated 16 Sept 2026

Australia built 169,057 new private sector homes in 2025, or about 172,642 when public and community housing is included1. That was down from 175,167 in 2024 and remains well below the pace needed to meet the National Housing Accord target of 1.2 million new homes by June 20292. Since 2010, private sector output has averaged roughly 175,700 dwellings a year, with completions peaking at 215,103 in 2018 before falling back. This slowdown in overall numbers is reflected in the shifting mix of housing types.

Detached houses now dominate new housing completions, making up 64% of the total, while apartments have fallen to just 18%, little more than half their 2017 peak share. Measured against population growth, Australia is building homes at close to its slowest rate in 50 years.

Private sector completions (2025)
169,057
All dwelling types · ~172,642 incl. public sector
Detached houses
108,868
64% of 2025 total
Per 1,000 residents
7.10
Up from 6.13 in 2023
Is Australia on track to build 1.2 million homes by June 2029?Is Australia on track to build 1.2 million homes by June 2029?Australia has completed 307,635 homes in the first seven quarters of the National Housing Accord, leaving the country 112,365 homes behind the pace needed to reach 1.2 million by June 2029. Australia…The states with the fastest and slowest home build times in AustraliaThe states with the fastest and slowest home build times in AustraliaBuilding a new home in Australia involves two key waiting periods: approval to commencement (the time from receiving planning approval to breaking ground), and commencement to completion (the time fro…

Section 01

Dwelling completions in Australia, 2010–2025: boom, bust and gradual recovery

Two distinct cycles have shaped Australia's housing output since 2010:

  • 2010–2018 boom: Completions climbed from 146,007 to a record 215,1031, driven by high-rise apartment construction in Sydney and Melbourne.
  • 2019–2022 retreat: As the apartment pipeline dried up, completions fell to 170,358, a drop of more than 44,000 from peak.
  • 2023–2025 recovery: Output has stabilised around 169,000–175,000, with house completions holding steady while apartments remain subdued.
Total new residential completions per year, 2010–2025ABS Building Activity, Australia, Dec 2025 — series 87520140K160K180K200K220K2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025YearTotal
Data coverage: Private sector completions only (new build). Public/government housing adds a further ~2,500–3,600 dwellings per year nationally (e.g., 172,642 total-sector completions in 2025 vs 169,057 private sector).
Show full table
Calendar YearTotal Residential (a)
2,005158,314
2,006141,613
2,007148,157
2,008141,663
2,009142,859
2,010146,007
2,011142,254
2,012140,240
2,013149,170
2,014171,729
2,015192,267
2,016207,558
2,017208,375
2,018215,103
2,019198,729
2,020177,966
2,021174,514
2,022170,358
2,023172,456
2,024175,167
2,025169,057

Section 02

Houses, townhouses and apartments: how Australia's building mix has shifted

The composition of new housing has shifted significantly since the mid-2000s. Detached houses now make up 64% of completions, up from a low of 53% in 2017 when the apartment boom was at its height. That surge peaked at 67,529 apartment units in 2017 and has since collapsed, with just 30,761 completed in 2025.

Annual completions by dwelling type, 2010–2025HousesTownhousesApartmentsABS Building Activity, Australia, Dec 202520K40K60K80K100K120K2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025Year
Data coverage: Private sector completions only. Semi-detached homes, row houses, and townhouses are grouped under "Townhouses."
Show full table
Calendar YearHousesTownhousesApartments
2,005106,16020,71731,432
2,00695,73918,17027,704
2,007104,00719,73924,411
2,008101,57117,68722,407
2,009100,90818,92423,026
2,010108,80516,10021,102
2,01197,36420,24624,643
2,01290,63218,19931,408
2,01394,82819,13035,212
2,014102,01824,39045,321
2,015117,30526,06348,898
2,016112,94130,07364,545
2,017110,86629,98267,529
2,018119,35133,05362,699
2,019108,74929,66160,319
2,020103,31726,13948,510
2,021108,65625,37640,484
2,022113,50325,27031,585
2,023114,42827,06830,962
2,024110,79229,20335,173
2,025108,86829,42930,761

Section 03

Pre-COVID, peak and today: how dwelling completions compare by type

The apartment sector tells the starkest story. From 60,319 completions in 2019, apartments have fallen nearly 49% to just 30,761 in 2025, driven by soaring construction costs, tighter developer finance, and a pipeline that never recovered post-COVID. By contrast, detached house and townhouse completions are virtually unchanged from pre-COVID levels, each within 1% of 2019.

Completions by dwelling type: pre-COVID vs peak vs 2025Pre-COVID (2019)Peak (2018)2025ABS Building Activity, Australia, Dec 202550K100K150K200K250K108,749119,351108,86829,66133,05329,42960,31962,69930,761198,729215,103169,057Detached housesTownhousesApartmentsTotalDwelling type
Data coverage: Private sector completions only.

Section 04

Which states are completing the most new houses and dwellings?

Victoria leads with 34,740 detached house completions in 2025, ahead of Queensland (22,017) and New South Wales (21,443)1. The two states to record meaningful growth since 2015:

  • South Australia: up 23.8%, from 7,988 to 9,8881.
  • Victoria: up 10.4%, from 31,475 to 34,7401.

Western Australia has recovered strongly, rising from 10,281 in 2020 to 17,601 in 2025, but remains 28.3% below its 2015 peak1. The ACT (−47.0%) and NT (−59.9%) have seen the steepest falls.

Detached house completions by state, 2025 vs 201520152025ABS Building Activity, Australia, Dec 202510K20K30K40K1,44076325,20321,44377931223,55422,0177,9889,8882,3102,10331,47534,74024,55717,601ACTNSWNTQLDSATASVICWAState / Territory
Data coverage: Detached houses, private sector only. Figures are calendar year completions.
Show full table
Calendar YearDetached HousesTownhousesApartments
Pre Covid 2019108,74929,66160,319
Peak119,35133,05362,699
2025108,86829,42930,761

Section 05

Australia's housing output per person is near a 50-year low

Adjusted for population, Australia's housing output is weaker than headline numbers suggest. The country approved 14.9 new homes per 1,0003 residents at the 1973 postwar peak. By 2023, that had fallen to just 6.13, the lowest on record. The 2025 reading of 7.10 is a step forward, but the trend is one of declining per-capita supply against a rapidly growing population.

New housing approvals per 1,000 residents, 1971–2025Total residential approvals (all sectors) ÷ ABS Estimated Resident Population × 1,000.ABS Building Activity, Australia, Dec 2025, ABS National, State and Territory Population (ERP)510151971197419771980198319861989199219951998200120042007201020132016201920222025YearAnnual total residential approvals per 1,000 people
Note: this chart uses building approvals data (not completions), which is the standard long-run series available from 1971. Approvals generally lead completions by 6–18 months.
Show full table
YearTotal residential approvalsPopulationAnnual total residential approvals per 1,000 people
1,971144,40513,067,26511.05
1,972165,20013,303,66412.42
1,973201,15813,504,53814.9
1,974137,01213,722,5719.98
1,975133,35613,892,9959.6
1,976151,10414,033,08310.77
1,977129,71414,192,2349.14
1,978120,64414,359,2558.4
1,979137,13814,515,7299.45
1,980152,51914,695,35610.38
1,981154,38214,923,26010.35
1,982117,63015,184,2477.75
1,983133,30815,393,4728.66
1,984159,95615,579,39110.27
1,985157,61615,788,3129.98
1,986124,40216,018,3507.77
1,987127,69616,263,8747.85
1,988178,00616,532,16410.77
1,989162,85216,814,4169.69
1,990131,26717,065,1287.69
1,991134,81417,284,0367.8
1,992162,48317,478,6359.3
1,993176,76217,634,80810.02
1,994188,11517,805,46810.57
1,995135,86518,004,8827.55
1,996124,18118,224,7676.81
1,997143,65318,423,0377.8
1,998153,63918,607,5848.26
1,999167,23618,812,2648.89
2,000139,33819,028,8027.32
2,001148,42819,274,7017.7
2,002177,11519,495,2109.09
2,003177,94119,720,7379.02
2,004169,04619,932,7228.48
2,005156,11520,176,8447.74
2,006153,25420,450,9667.49
2,007159,38720,827,6227.65
2,008148,74221,249,1997
2,009148,92221,691,6536.87
2,010180,80822,031,7508.21
2,011152,30622,340,0246.82
2,012155,53322,733,4656.84
2,013181,00223,128,1297.83
2,014208,08723,475,6868.86
2,015237,16723,815,9959.96
2,016232,12124,190,9079.6
2,017223,17524,592,5889.07
2,018210,52424,963,2588.43
2,019175,37625,334,8266.92
2,020186,40025,649,2487.27
2,021228,11925,685,4128.88
2,022190,62026,018,7217.33
2,023163,38926,659,9226.13
2,024173,48227,194,2866.38
2,025196,03527,611,0007.1

Section 06

Detached houses have regained share, but still less than in past decades

The apartment-driven surge of 2012–2018 pushed detached houses down to 53% of all completions at its lowest point. That share has recovered to 64% in 2025, close to mid-2000s levels, but the overall volume of homes being built remains insufficient. The key question is whether medium-density townhouse supply can fill the gap left by the collapse in apartments and the affordability ceiling now facing greenfield estates.

Share of new home completions by type, 2005–2025HousesSemi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses - TotalApartments - Total including those attached to a houseABS Building Activity, Australia, Dec 2025.20%40%60%80%20052007200920112013201520172019202120232025Calendar Year
Data coverage: Private sector completions only.
2010: before the apartment boom
74.5%
detached house
2017: peak apartment era
32%
apartments, highest ever
2025: current mix
64%
houses · 17% towns · 18% apts

Section 07

How Australia's housing supply is tracking in 2026

The NHSAC Quarterly Report for March 2026 puts residential building approvals for the three months to January 2026 at roughly 48,5002 dwellings. Annualised, that works out to around 194,000 approvals per year, with quarterly approvals 17 per cent higher than when the National Housing Accord period began. To stay on pace with the National Housing Accord, Australia needs an average of 60,000 completed homes per quarter. Approvals are a leading indicator rather than a direct measure of progress against that completion target. At March 2026, NHSAC expected Australia to reach the target in June 2030, a year after the June 2029 deadline.

Build times for detached houses have continued to shorten. In 2024–25, the average from approval to completion fell to about 11.5 months, from 12.7 months in 2023–24. NHSAC described this as a 10 per cent improvement in construction times2. The shorter build times reduce the time between an approval and a completed home. Townhouses and terraces are also part of the higher-density housing pipeline, with several state planning initiatives aimed at increasing low- and mid-rise housing supply in existing suburbs.

Avg. house build time
11.5 mo
Down from 12.7 months in 2023–24
Approvals rate
~194k
Annualised, three months to Jan 2026
Annual target (Accord)
240,000
Required pace to meet 1.2M by 2029

Based on the current trajectory, the NHSAC March 2026 report suggests Australia will deliver somewhere between 900,000 and 950,000 new homes by June 2029, well short of 1.2 million2. The apartment sector is where the numbers diverge most sharply from what is needed: just 30,761 were completed in 2025 and the forward pipeline remains thin. Unless higher-density construction picks up significantly, the Accord target is out of reach.

References

  1. ABS Building Activity, Australia, March 2026 (Cat. 8752.0) · Australian Bureau of Statistics ↑ b c d e f
  2. NHSAC Quarterly Report, March 2026 · nhsac.gov.au ↑ b c d
  3. ABS, National, state and territory population (latest release) · Australian Bureau of Statistics ↑
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