Georgia Grants 8,632 Construction Permits in Nine Months as Area Rises 2%

Georgia granted 8,632 construction permits in January to September 2026, 0.4 per cent more than a year earlier, for buildings with a total area of 8,654.8 thousand square metres, up 2.0 per cent, the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) said on 30 October.

The figures come from Geostat's information about permissions granted for construction and completed objects for the first nine months of the year. The permits cover both new construction and reconstruction, according to the release.

Completions moved the other way on count but not on size. Geostat said 2,307 objects were completed in the nine months, 5.9 per cent fewer than a year earlier, with a total area of 2,543.6 thousand square metres, 2.8 per cent more.

Tbilisi takes almost half of the permits

Almost three-quarters of construction permits were issued in four regions. Tbilisi accounted for 48.1 per cent, Kvemo Kartli for 8.9 per cent, Kakheti for 8.2 per cent and the Autonomous Republic of Adjara for 7.8 per cent. Mtskheta-Mtianeti followed with 6.1 per cent and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti with 5.0 per cent.

Geostat said the permits were granted for multifunctional residential complexes, trade facilities, hotels, industrial enterprises, agricultural buildings and other structures.

Completed construction was spread more widely. Tbilisi held 32.5 per cent of completed objects, Mtskheta-Mtianeti 13.9 per cent, Kakheti 12.2 per cent and Kvemo Kartli 8.6 per cent, which together made up more than two-thirds of the total. Shida Kartli accounted for 8.1 per cent and Adjara for 3.7 per cent.

By CBJ's calculation from the release, the average permit in the nine months covered about 1,003 square metres of building area, while the average completed object covered about 1,103 square metres. Fewer but larger completed objects suggest the pipeline is finishing bigger projects.

Prices and growth

The permit data arrive alongside firm prices for new homes in the capital. Geostat's residential property price index for the third quarter of 2026, published on 23 October, rose 1.5 per cent from the previous quarter and 5.9 per cent from a year earlier. The index covers the market for new residential property in Tbilisi. Prices of flats were up 5.6 per cent year on year and prices of detached houses 7.0 per cent. Against the 2020 average, the index was up 66.2 per cent.

Construction is also feeding the wider economy. Geostat's rapid estimate of economic growth for September 2026 listed construction first among the activities that contributed significantly to real growth in the month, ahead of information and communication, mining and quarrying, trade and financial services. Real GDP grew an estimated 6.0 per cent in September and 7.4 per cent on average in January to September, as CBJ reported in its piece on Georgia's September growth.

The same release put annual consumer price inflation at 5.6 per cent in September, so Tbilisi new-home prices, up 5.9 per cent annually in the third quarter, rose broadly in line with consumer prices.

What it means for business

For developers, contractors and building materials suppliers, the nine-month figures describe a market that is steady rather than accelerating: the number of permits is flat, the area permitted is up 2.0 per cent and completed floor space is up 2.8 per cent.

The regional split matters for where that demand lands. Tbilisi still takes almost half of new permits, but regions around the capital, Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Kakheti, together account for 26.1 per cent of completed objects, more than their combined 14.3 per cent share of new permits.

For lenders, steady permits and Tbilisi new-home prices rising 5.9 per cent a year form the backdrop for mortgage and developer lending. Georgia's banks have been growing earnings on that base: CBJ reported this week that Georgian banks' net profit rose 20 per cent in nine months.