Global Buildings and Construction: Emissions, Energy, GDP and Jobs

The Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (GSRBC) is the annual flagship of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) [2]. The tenth edition, 2025-2026, was launched at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum [1].

The report puts buildings and construction at 11-13% of global GDP and around 9% of the world's workforce across construction, renovation, demolition and engineering [1]. UNEP notes that half of the buildings that will exist in 2050 are yet to be built or renovated [1].

Global buildings floor area grew 1.7% in 2024 to 273 billion square metres [2]. Growth was driven largely by construction in emerging economies, including India and Southeast Asia [2].

The sector accounts for around 37% of global CO2 emissions, 28% of global energy consumption and nearly 50% of global material extraction, according to the 2025-2026 report [1][2]. The European Commission's BUILD UP summary of the report says operational emissions increased between 2015 and 2024, while embodied emissions from cement, steel and aluminium stayed stable at around 2.1 GtCO2 [5].

The previous 2024-2025 edition put the sector at 32% of global energy use and 34% of global CO2 emissions, with cement and steel responsible for 18% of global emissions [3]. Differences between editions mainly reflect changes in scope and method, so they should not be read as a one-year change.

UNEP's March 2024 release noted that a 1% increase in the sector's emissions in 2022 was equal to 10 million more cars circling the Earth's equator, while energy intensity dropped 3.5% that year [4].

Global building energy intensity has fallen 8.5% and green building certifications have nearly tripled over the last decade [1]. UNEP says investment in energy efficiency must more than double, reaching USD 5.9 trillion by 2030, to keep climate goals within reach [1].

Figures come from UNEP and GlobalABC Global Status Reports for Buildings and Construction, their official web pages, a UNEP press release and the European Commission BUILD UP portal [1][2][3][4][5]. Shares of emissions and energy differ between editions because of changes in coverage (for example, inclusion of materials production and construction activity) and should be compared within one edition only. The employment share is UNEP's sector-wide estimate; no separate ILO figure was verified in this research round. Values marked with about or nearly are rounded by the publisher.