France started dwellings (12m): total (excl. Mayotte)
France started dwellings (12m): total (excl. Mayotte) stood at 300,500 Number in Aug 2026, according to INSEE – Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (BDM). It is one of the indicators in the Housing permits and starts table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Dec 2000 to Aug 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Housing permits and starts table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of started dwellings - 12-month aggregate - Total - France excluding Mayotte | 300,500 | 294,900 | 290,300 | 288,000 | 282,500 | 277,500 | 268,400 | 266,200 | 263,000 | 255,500 | |
| Number of started dwellings - 12-month aggregate - Pure one-dwelling buildings - Metropolitan France | 72,400 | 70,600 | 68,700 | 66,200 | 64,700 | 63,100 | 61,200 | 60,100 | 59,400 | 58,600 | |
| Number of started dwellings - 12-month aggregate - Grouped one-dwelling buildings - Metropolitan France | 31,600 | 31,200 | 30,800 | 30,800 | 30,700 | 30,300 | 29,800 | 29,700 | 29,500 | 29,000 |
Understanding france started dwellings (12m): total (excl. Mayotte)
Actual physical commencement of residential construction projects is tallied in this series as a cumulative twelve-month sum, capturing the moment ground is broken on foundations across a broad geographic perimeter. This aggregate spans traditional detached houses, apartment complexes, and specialized collective housing units, while deliberately omitting a specific overseas department from the territorial calculation. By accumulating data over twelve months, the metric bridges the gap between sporadic monthly groundbreakings and long-term macro housing trends, offering a steady barometer of sector activity.
Reading this indicator effectively involves recognizing the inherent time lag between municipal authorization and physical groundwork. Because weather events, contractor availability, and financing bottlenecks frequently stall projects after permits are issued, this series often diverges sharply from authorization metrics over identical periods. Analysts rely on this twelve-month view to bypass the sharp seasonal swings that plague individual monthly reports, particularly winter slowdowns. Users comparing this metric against permit totals should anticipate temporal gaps, as foundations are rarely poured in the same month regulatory approval is granted.
Frequently asked questions
- What event triggers the inclusion of a dwelling in this construction start series?
- A unit enters this metric when physical ground is broken and construction work officially commences on the building's foundations.
- How does this twelve-month aggregate differ from standard monthly housing starts?
- The rolling annual total sums twelve consecutive months of data, completely smoothing out seasonal weather impacts and calendar irregularities.
- Why is a specific overseas territory excluded from these figures?
- Statistical collection frameworks and administrative reporting timelines differ in that specific territory, requiring its exclusion to maintain time-series consistency.