A total of 2,617 building licenses were issued in the first quarter of 2019 which included 1,645 new buildings.
        
The total number of building licenses issued in the first quarter of 2019 increased by 1% compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and increased by 5% compared with the first quarter of 2018, where the number of new building licenses increased by 5% compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and increased by 8% compared with the first quarter of 2018.
        
The area of licensed buildings (residential and non-residential) totaled 1.232 million m2, of which new buildings made up 992 thousand m2 and existing buildings comprised 240 thousand m2.
    
The total number of licensed dwellings was 5,535 with a total area of 853 thousand m2, of which 4,340 were new dwellings with a total area of 684 thousand m2 and 1,195 were existing dwellings with a total area of 169 thousand m2.
    
The number of new dwellings in the first quarter of 2019 increased by 3% compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 and increased by 25% compared with the first quarter of 2018.

*Data excluded those parts of Jerusalem which were annexed by Israeli occupation in 1967.