The highest growth in real estate transactions this year is observed in Portugal, according to a study by the specialized website idealista. On an annual basis, 10% growth is expected in 2025 compared to 2024.
The forecast is based on market dynamics observed in the first half of 2025 and predicts an improvement in mortgage lending conditions. This trend is also reflected in data published by the Portuguese National Institute of Statistics (INE), which shows a 24.9% increase in the number of transactions in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
In 2024, Portugal ranked fourth in terms of transaction growth (14.5%), after Turkey (20%), the Czech Republic (43%) and Luxembourg (48%).
At the other end of the ranking - the countries that recorded the largest decline in transaction volume in 2024, largely due to a shortage of supply, are France, Austria and Ireland.
Another conclusion from the study concerns the price per square meter of real estate in EU countries. Portugal lags significantly behind the European average by 3,558 EUR/sq m. In 2024, the price per square meter in the country was 1777 EUR/sq m.
The markets with the highest values in Europe are Switzerland (11,400 EUR/sq m), Luxembourg (8488 EUR/sq m), the Netherlands (4445 EUR/sq m), Austria (3560 EUR/sq m) and France (3217 EUR/sq m).
On average, 75% of the EU population lives in urban areas and this share is constantly increasing in most countries. The study highlights Lisbon as part of this trend, with a price per square meter of 4,340 EUR/sq m, which is in line with cities such as Prague (4,555 EUR/sq m) and Vienna (4,184 EUR/sq m) and more expensive than Rome (3,200 EUR/sq m), Madrid (3,805 EUR/sq m) or Brussels (3,337 EUR/sq m).
However, housing in cities such as Bern (15,000 EUR/sq m), Luxembourg (12,462 EUR/sq m) and Paris (9,557 EUR/sq m) is incredibly expensive. These are the most expensive cities in the EU.
ERA Group has published a positive forecast for the real estate sector until the end of 2025. It predicts moderate price growth in most of the regions studied, thanks to stable interest rates, incentives for sustainable development and the increasing use of digital platforms.
However, unequal access to credit remains a serious challenge for the sustainability of the real estate sector.
Detailed statistics on average property prices in Bulgaria by cities and neighborhoods can be seen at imot.bg