Investment in Building Construction, January 2024
March 19, 2024
Investment in building construction declined 0.9% to $19.7 billion in January. The residential sector declined 1.4% to $13.6 billion, while investment in the non-residential sector edged up 0.2% to $6.1 billion.
On a constant dollar basis (2017=100), investment in building construction fell 0.9% to $12.1 billion in January.
Chart 1
Investment in building construction, seasonally adjusted
Investment in the residential sector declines
Investment in residential building construction declined by $194 million (-1.4%) to $13.6 billion in January. The monthly movement in January was led by a $228 million decline in Ontario (-4.1% to $5.4 billion), the largest contributor to the net monthly change. This decline was partially offset by increases in five provinces, led by Quebec (+$53 million to $2.5 billion).
Nationally, investment in detached single-family homes increased 2.1% to $6.7 billion in January, with eight provinces reporting gains for this component. Multi-unit family investment declined 4.5% to $6.9 billion in January, driven by declines in Ontario as the pace of new construction starts in the province slowed in January 2024 compared with earlier in 2023.
Infographic 1
Investment in residential building construction, January 2024
Chart 2
Investment in residential building construction, seasonally adjusted
Non-residential sector edges higher
Investment in the non-residential sector edged up in January (+0.2%), increasing for the third consecutive month to reach a record high of $6.1 billion. Gains in institutional (+$32.3 million to $1.7 billion) and industrial (+$7.3 million to $1.3 billion) investments were largely offset by declines in commercial investment (-$26.2 million to $3.1 billion).
The decline in commercial investment for January represents the seventh consecutive monthly decline, with seven provinces contributing to the negative movement.
Infographic 2
Investment in non-residential building construction, January 2024
For more information on construction, please visit the Construction statistics portal.
For more information on housing, please visit the Housing statistics portal.
