Repost of original publication available at UNEP Knowledge Repository and via GlobalABC Resources, including Key Messages.

Abstract

The Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR), published by UNEP and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), provides an annual snapshot of the sector's progress globally. It reviews the status of policies, finance, technologies and solutions to monitor alignment with the Paris Agreement goals.

The 2025/2026 edition — Building fast. Falling short — is the 10th edition of this flagship publication. It benchmarks progress through the Global Buildings Climate Tracker across emissions, building energy codes, renewable energy, green building certification, and investment in energy efficiency, covering climate resilience, housing affordability, and the 2050 Buildings Breakthrough and Déclaration de Chaillot. Despite a decade of progress, the sector remains off track, accounting for 37 per cent of global emissions and nearly 50 per cent of global material extraction, as decarbonisation stalls and construction outpaces climate action.

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Political statement
• Executive summary

1. Introduction
   1.1 The relevance of the buildings and construction sector
   1.2 The Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction
   1.3 Monitoring the buildings and construction sector
   1.4 The progress observed between 2015-2024
2. Global trends in buildings and construction
   2.1 An expanding global buildings and construction sector
   2.2 The construction market and cost inflation
   2.3 The buildings and construction sector and the growing housing affordability crisis
3. Buildings and construction sector carbon emissions
   3.1 New buildings and their embodied carbon emissions
   3.2 Operational emissions from existing buildings
   3.3 Towards 2030: reducing buildings’ operational emissions
4. Buildings’ energy demand, efficiency and intensity
   4.1 Buildings’ energy intensity
   4.2 Towards 2030: faster reduction of buildings’ energy
5. Buildings’ energy supply, renewable energy share and electrification
   5.1 Share of renewable energy in buildings
   5.2 Towards 2030: increasing the share of renewables in buildings
6. Policies for or a climate-resilient buildings and construction sector
   6.1 NDCs with an extensive strategy for the buildings and construction sector
   6.2 Towards 2030: getting NDCs to include extensive strategies for the buildings and construction sector
   6.3 Other national policies for decarbonisation and adaptation of the buildings and construction sector
7. Building energy codes around the world
   7.1 Building energy codes aligned with zero-emissions principles
   7.2 Towards 2030: deploying ZEB-aligned building energy codes
8. Green building certification around the world
   8.1 Growth in green building certification
   8.2 Towards 2030: leveraging the potential of green building certification
9. Investment in sustainable and resilient buildings
   9.1 Investment in buildings’ energy efficiency and decarbonisation
   9.2 Towards 2030: scaling-up investment in buildings’ energy efficiency
10. Future-proofing the buildings sector: monitoring resilience and adaptation risks
    10.1 Adaptation and resilience in buildings and construction
    10.2 A framework for different adaptation and resilience domains
11. Roadmaps to drive transformation: from strategy to implementation
    11.1 Regional and national roadmaps for buildings and construction following the GlobalABC methodology
    11.2 Other green building roadmap initiatives around the world
12. Priority actions: accelerating the observed progress 
13. Building on a strong foundation: scaling up the GSRBC 

• References
• Annex: Global Buildings Climate Tracker methodology

Authors

The 2025–2026 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction was prepared by the lead coordinating authors including Prof. Ian Hamilton, Dr. Harry Kennard, Dr. Shih-Che Hsu, Lucien Hua, Merve Yılmaz, from Building Insights, and Oliver Rapf, Dr. Jerson Amorocho, Dr. Sriraj Gokarakonda, Ana Nanu, and Larissa Milo-Dale from Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), and chapter, sections and deep dives authors including Dr. Judit Kockat, Dr. Sibyl Steuwer, Emily Bankert, and Lisa Graaf from BPIE, Sean Lockie, Orlando Gibbons, and Matthew Munro from Arup, Dr. Martin Röck from Institute for Regenerative Spatial System Science (RISE), and Dr. Clara Camarasa at UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP CCC).

The report was designed by 89up. The report was edited by Chloé Farand.

Support was provided by Hongpeng Lei, Gulnara Roll, Jonathan Duwyn, Hanane Hafraoui, Sophie Loran, Sajni Niki Shah, Konish Naidu, Nyasha Harper-Michon, Dima Khoury, Keishamaza Rukikaire, Tal Harris, and Moses Osani from the UNEP / Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC).

This report was made possible through support from UNEP, Assemble Alliance and research funding provided by ADEME, France and DESNZ, United Kingdom.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the following members and partners who supported this report with their important contributions, input, comments and reviews:

Lana Isam AbuQulbain, Technical Engineer, Emirates Green Building Council
Hannah Audino, Energy Transitions Commission, Systemiq
Paula Baptista, German Energy Agency (dena)
Katie Beaulieu, Natural Resources Canada
Teresa Coady, FRAIC, LEED Fellow, AAIA
Dr.-Ing. Mira Conci, EIT Climate KIC
Dr. Essam Elnagar, Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE)
Victoria Falcone, World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Li Fen, Chief Engineer, Shenzhen Institute of Building Research Co., Ltd.
Lori Ferriss, Climate Heritage Network, Built Buildings Lab
Mina Hasman, Commonwealth Association for Architects | SOM
Prof. Shan Hu, Tsinghua University
Dr. Silke Krawietz, SETA Network / SETA Design
Dr. York Ostermeyer, Stichting CUES / University College London (UCL)
Dr. Carolina Owen, World Green Building Council (WorldGBC)
Dr. Alicia Regodon Puyalto, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Julie Robles, Global Green Growth Institute
Prof. Da Yan, Tsinghua University
Dr. Derek Sarfo-Yiadom, Environmental Protection Authority, Ghana

Suggested citation

United Nations Environment Programme (2026). "Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2025–2026: As climate risks rise and cities grow, we must rethink how we build to create better lives for all." Paris, 2026. DOI: https://doi.org//10.59117/20.500.11822/49531

© 2026 United Nations Environment Programme

ISBN: 978-92-807-4283-1
Job number: CLI/2765/PA
DOI: https://doi.org//10.59117/20.500.11822/49531
URI: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/49531