China Construction Market Size, Trends, and Forecasts by Sector - Commercial, Industrial, Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, Institutional and Residential Market Analysis to 2030 (Q3 2026)

Summary

The analyst has sharply revised down its growth forecast for the Chinese construction industry from -1.5% in the Q2 2026 update to -9% currently, owing to weaker-than-expected construction investment in the first half of 2026. This was driven by a prolonged property slump, which did not revive despite the government’s efforts to stabilize the housing market by incentivizing local governments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to buy back unsold commercial housing directly from developers and convert it into subsidized and affordable housing. Complementing this, persistent supply chain disruptions caused by ongoing geopolitical conflicts have also weighed on the industry’s output in the first half of 2026.

However, the industry is expected to rebound at an average annual growth rate of 3.4% from 2028 to 2030, supported by investment in manufacturing, transportation, and green energy developments. Growth will also be driven by the country’s plan to expand the railway network to 180,000km by 2030 and 200,000km by 2035, up from 162,000km in 2024. Furthermore, China’s 15th Five-Year Plan 2026-30 (15th FYP) will drive investment in the country; it includes building and upgrading approximately 770,000km of urban underground pipelines by 2030 to improve drainage and sewage networks and strengthen flood control, along with the construction of 17,000km of railway lines by 2030. As of June 2026, China was drafting a plan to invest around CNY2.1 trillion ($295 billion) over the next five years to build a nationwide artificial intelligence (AI) data center grid.

The analyst’s Construction in China - Key Trends and Opportunities to 2030 (Q3 2026) report provides detailed market analysis, information, and insights into the Chinese construction industry, including:

The Chinese construction industry's growth prospects by market, project type and construction activity
Critical insight into the impact of industry trends and issues, as well as an analysis of key risks and opportunities in the Chinese construction industry
Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, focusing on development stages and participants, in addition to listings of major projects in the pipeline.

Scope

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the construction industry in China. It provides:

Historical (2021-2025) and forecast (2026-2030) valuations of the construction industry in China, featuring details of key growth drivers.
Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by sub-sector
Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, including breakdowns by development stage across all sectors, and projected spending on projects in the existing pipeline.
Listings of major projects, in addition to details of leading contractors and consultants

Reasons to Buy

Identify and evaluate market opportunities using our standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies
Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts
Understand the latest industry and market trends
Formulate and validate business strategies using the analyst's critical and actionable insight
Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures
Evaluate competitive risk and success factors

1 Executive Summary2 Construction Industry: At-a-Glance

3 Context

3.1 Economic Performance
3.2 Political Environment and Policy
3.3 Demographics
3.4 Risk Profile

4 Construction Outlook

4.1 All Construction

Outlook
Latest news and developments
Construction Projects Momentum Index

4.2 Commercial Construction

Outlook
Project analytics
Latest news and developments

4.3 Industrial Construction

Outlook
Project analytics
Latest news and developments

4.4 Infrastructure Construction

Outlook
Project analytics
Latest news and developments

4.5 Energy and Utilities Construction

Outlook
Project analytics
Latest news and developments

4.6 Institutional Construction

Outlook
Project analytics
Latest news and developments

4.7 Residential Construction

Outlook
Project analytics
Latest news and developments

5 Key Industry Participants

5.1 Contractors
5.2 Consultants

6 Construction Market Data

7 Appendix

7.1 What is this Report About?
7.2 Definitions
7.3 CRI Methodology

About the Analyst

List of Tables

Table 1: Construction Industry Key Data
Table 2: China, Key Economic Indicators
Table 3: China, Gross Output of Construction, CNY Billion
Table 4: China, Commercial Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-30
Table 5: China, Top Commercial Construction Projects by Value
Table 6: China, Industrial Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-30
Table 7: China, Top Industrial Construction Projects by Value
Table 8: China, Infrastructure Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-30
Table 9: China, Top Infrastructure Construction Projects by Value
Table 10: China, Energy and Utilities Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-30
Table 11: China, Top Energy and Utilities Construction Projects by Value
Table 12: China, Institutional Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-30
Table 13: China, Top Institutional Construction Projects by Value
Table 14: China, Residential Construction Output by Project Type (Real % Change), 2021-30
Table 15: China, Top Residential Construction Projects by Value
Table 16: China, Key Contractors
Table 17: China, Key Consultants
Table 18: China Construction Output Value (Real, $ Billion)
Table 19: China Construction Output Value (Nominal, CNY Billion)
Table 20: GlobalData Construction Market Definitions
Table 21: GlobalData Construction Market Definitions
Table 22: Ratings, Scores and Definitions

List of Figures

Figure 1: North-East Asia, Construction Output (Real % Change), 2024-30
Figure 2: China, Construction Output by Sector (Real % Change), 2024-26 and 2027-30
Figure 3: China, Risk Summary
Figure 4: China, Risk Regional Comparison
Figure 5: China, Construction Output Value (Real, $ Million, 2022 Prices and Exchange Rate), 2021-30
Figure 6: China, Construction Output Value, by Sector (Real, $ Million), 2021-30
Figure 7: China, Construction Output (Nominal, CNY Million)
Figure 8: China, Construction Value-Add, % Change YoY
Figure 9: China, Total Floor Area of Buildings Completed by Construction Enterprises (CNY Billion)
Figure 10: China, Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), Seasonally Adjusted
Figure 11: China, Investment in Fixed Assets in the Construction Industry, (Accumulated % Change, YoY)
Figure 12: China, Total Value of New Contracts Signed by Construction Enterprises, (CYN Trillion)
Figure 13: China, Investment in Real Estate Development, (Accumulated % Change, YoY)
Figure 14: China, Purchasing Price Index for Building Materials
Figure 15: China, Construction Projects Momentum Index
Figure 16: North-East Asia, Construction Projects Momentum Index
Figure 17: China, Commercial Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-30
Figure 18: China, Commercial Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 19: China, Total Floor Space of Commercial Buildings Under Construction, in Million m2 (Accumulated)
Figure 20: China, Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods, Current Prices, (Accumulated, CNY Billion)
Figure 21: China, Investment in Commercial Real Estate Development (CNY Billion)
Figure 22: China, Floor Space of Office Buildings Under Construction (Accumulated, % Change YoY)
Figure 23: China, Investment in Office Buildings (CNY Billion)
Figure 24: China, Industrial Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-30
Figure 25: China, Industrial Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 26: China, Industrial and Manufacturing Value-Add, % Change, YoY
Figure 27: China, Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index, Seasonally Adjusted
Figure 28: China, Total Exports ($ billion)
Figure 29: China, Infrastructure Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-30
Figure 30: China, Infrastructure Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 31: China, Fixed Asset Investment in The Transport Sector (Accumulated % Change, YoY)
Figure 32: China, Energy and Utilities Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-30
Figure 33: China, Energy and Utilities Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 34: China, Electricity Generation, in TWh
Figure 35: China, Institutional Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-30
Figure 36: China, Institutional Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 37: China, Total Floor Area of Buildings Completed for Scientific Research, Education, and Medical Use (CNY Billion)
Figure 38: China, Residential Construction Output by Project Type (Real, $ Million), 2021-30
Figure 39: China, Residential Construction Projects Pipeline, Value by Stage ($ Million)
Figure 40: China, Total Floor Space of Residential Area Under Construction and Total Floor Space of Residential Builds Started this Year (Accumulated % Change, YoY)
Figure 41: China, Total Nominal Value of Residential Buildings Sold (CNY Trillion)
Figure 42: China, Investment in Residential Real Estate Development (CNY Billion)
Figure 43: China, Headquarters of Key Contractors (% of Total Project Pipeline)
Figure 44: China, Headquarters of Key Consultants (% of Total Project Pipeline)

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