In 2019, there was a slight increase in construction of housing. A total of 22,167 houses were built in the country last year. This represents a 1.3% increase over 18. INEC keeps track of the related details based on construction permits issued in the 82 municipalities.
According to the data, the greatest increase was in units of less than 40 square meters. The construction of this size home nearly tripled, from 499 in 2018 to 1,448 in 2019. The average investment in these houses was ₡3,867 million in 2018 to ₡99,040 million in 2019.
Even with the increase in homes, the final figure is less than the total in 2017, by almost 1,000. Experts expect an 8.7% decrease in 2020 due to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus.
Reports also showed that the construction of condominium apartments represented 10.1% of the construction permits processed.