UK Construction Industry Statistics 2026: Market Size, Safety, and Technology

UK Construction Industry Statistics 2026: Market Size, Safety, and Technology

The UK construction industry is one of the largest sectors of the national economy. This statistical overview compiles the latest available data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), and other authoritative sources to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the sector in 2026.

Whether you are a site manager, contractor, policy researcher, or industry analyst, this page brings together the key numbers in one place.

Market Size and Economic Contribution

According to ONS data, the UK construction industry contributed approximately £123 billion in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2024, representing roughly 6% of total UK GDP. Total construction output (the value of work done) was approximately £199 billion in 2024.

Construction Output by Sector

Source: ONS Construction Output in Great Britain, seasonally adjusted 2024 annual data. Figures represent the value of construction work done.

Employment in UK Construction

The ONS Labour Force Survey reports that approximately 2.1 million people were employed in the UK construction industry as of Q4 2025. This represents roughly 6.2% of total UK employment.

Employment Breakdown

Source: ONS Labour Force Survey Q4 2025. Self-employment rate in construction (40%) is significantly higher than the UK average across all sectors (approximately 13%).

The construction workforce is heavily male-dominated. According to the CITB Workforce Mobility and Skills report, approximately 86% of construction workers are male and 14% are female, though female representation has been gradually increasing from 11% in 2018.

Skills Shortage

The CITB’s Construction Skills Network (CSN) forecast for 2024-2028 estimated that the UK construction industry needs to attract 225,000 additional workers by 2028 to meet projected demand. The most acute shortages are in the following trades.

• Bricklayers: vacancy rate approximately 3 times the UK average across all sectors
• Roofers: persistent shortage, particularly in London and the South East
• Plumbers and heating engineers: demand driven by retrofit and heat pump installation
• Electricians: growing demand from EV charging infrastructure and renewable energy
• Site managers and supervisors: experienced professionals approaching retirement

The average age of a UK construction worker is 44, compared to 40 across all UK industries (ONS Labour Force Survey). Roughly 22% of the construction workforce is aged 55 or over, creating a significant retirement cliff in the next decade.

Health and Safety Statistics

Construction consistently has one of the highest rates of workplace fatalities and injuries in the UK. The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) publishes annual statistics that paint a clear picture of the sector’s safety challenges.

Fatal Injuries

According to HSE’s annual Workplace Fatal Injuries report for 2023/24 (the most recent published figures), there were 51 fatal injuries to workers in the construction sector, out of 138 total workplace fatalities across all UK industries. Construction accounted for 37% of all workplace deaths despite employing only 6.2% of the workforce.

Main Causes of Fatal Injuries in Construction (2023/24)

Source: HSE Workplace Fatal Injuries in Great Britain 2024 report (covering 2023/24 reporting year).

Falls from height remain the single biggest killer in UK construction, accounting for nearly half of all construction fatalities. This has been consistently the case for over 20 years.

Non-Fatal Injuries

HSE data shows that the construction sector reported approximately 60,000 non-fatal injuries per year (Labour Force Survey estimate), with approximately 4,200 of these reported under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). The rate of non-fatal injury in construction is approximately 2,780 per 100,000 workers, compared to the all-industry average of approximately 1,780 per 100,000.

Occupational Health

Construction workers face significant long-term health risks. HSE statistics show.

• Approximately 74,000 construction workers in the UK suffer from work-related ill health annually
• Musculoskeletal disorders account for 42% of work-related illness in construction
• Stress, depression, and anxiety account for 27% of work-related illness
• Occupational lung disease (including asbestosis and silicosis) kills approximately 500 construction workers per year in the UK, far exceeding the number of fatal injuries on site
• Construction workers are 3.7 times more likely to die from suicide than the UK male average, according to ONS occupation-specific mortality data

Sources: HSE Statistics on Work-Related Ill Health 2024, HSE Mesothelioma Statistics 2024, ONS Occupation-Specific Suicide Data 2023.

CDM Regulations and Compliance

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) remain the primary framework for managing health and safety on UK construction projects. Under CDM, commercial projects must appoint a Principal Designer and Principal Contractor.

CDM Compliance Statistics

HSE inspection data and enforcement reports suggest the following compliance landscape.

• HSE conducted approximately 8,500 construction site inspections in 2023/24
• Approximately 34% of inspections resulted in enforcement action (improvement or prohibition notices)
• The most common non-compliance areas were work at height (29% of notices), structural stability/excavations (18%), and welfare facilities (12%)
• Average HSE fine for construction health and safety offences was approximately £115,000 in 2023/24, though fines for large companies can reach millions
• HSE prosecuted 92 construction sector cases in 2023/24, with a conviction rate of approximately 94%

Source: HSE Annual Report and Accounts 2023/24, HSE Enforcement Statistics 2024.

Construction Costs and Materials

Building Cost Index

The BCIS (Building Cost Information Service) Construction Cost Index showed that construction costs in the UK increased by approximately 3.5% in 2025, following increases of 4.8% in 2024 and 7.2% in 2023. The rate of cost inflation has been moderating after the sharp spikes of 2021-2023 driven by supply chain disruption and energy costs.

Material Price Changes (2025 vs 2024)

Source: ONS Construction Output Price Indices, BEIS Monthly Statistics of Building Materials. Timber prices declined due to global oversupply following the 2021-2023 price spike.

Technology Adoption in UK Construction

Digital adoption in UK construction has historically lagged behind other sectors. However, recent data shows gradual improvement.

Technology Adoption Rates

Sources: NBS BIM Report 2024, CITB Digitalisation in Construction report 2024, McKinsey Global Institute construction technology survey. BIM adoption measured among contractors on projects over £5 million.

BIM adoption is high among larger contractors due to the UK Government mandate requiring BIM Level 2 on all centrally procured public sector projects since 2016. Among smaller contractors and subcontractors, BIM adoption drops to approximately 25-30%.

The construction sector spends approximately 1.5% of revenue on technology, compared to 3.3% across all UK industries (ONS Business Enterprise Research and Development survey). This places construction among the lowest technology spenders of any major UK industry sector.

Housing and Planning Statistics

The UK Government’s target of building 300,000 new homes per year in England has not been met in any year since it was set. DLUHC (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) data shows.

• Net additional dwellings in England 2023/24: approximately 222,000
• New build completions: approximately 170,000
• Planning applications granted: approximately 350,000 (residential)
• Average time from planning application to completion: 2.5 to 4 years
• Number of homes with planning permission but not yet started (the “land bank”): approximately 1.1 million

Sources: DLUHC Live Tables on House Building 2024, DLUHC Planning Application Statistics 2024. England only – Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have separate planning systems.

Key Statistics at a Glance

Methodology and Sources

This report compiles data from the following primary sources: ONS Construction Output in Great Britain statistical bulletin, ONS Labour Force Survey, HSE Workplace Fatal Injuries in Great Britain 2024, HSE Statistics on Work-Related Ill Health 2024, CITB Construction Skills Network Forecast 2024-2028, NBS BIM Report 2024, BCIS Construction Cost Indices, DLUHC Housing Statistics and Planning Application Statistics, BEIS Monthly Statistics of Building Materials, and McKinsey Global Institute construction sector research. All figures are the most recently published as of April 2026.