Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2025-2026

Launched at the 13 session of the World Urban Forum, UNEP and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC)'s tenth edition of the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2025–2026 examines one of the defining challenges of this decade: transforming a rapidly expanding, emissions-intensive sector into one that delivers climate action, resilience and affordable living. Buildings and construction sit at the centre of the global economy, representing 11–13 per cent of global GDP and employing around 9 per cent of the world’s workforce across construction, renovation, demolition and engineering. At the same time, the sector accounts for around 37 per cent of global CO₂ emissions and nearly 50 per cent of global material extraction. With half of the buildings that will exist in 2050 still yet to be built or renovated, the choices made today will shape emissions, energy use and quality of life for generations. Tracking policies, technologies and investment against a 2050 net-zero pathway, the report reveals both progress and urgency: global building energy intensity has fallen by 8.5 per cent and green building certifications have nearly tripled over the last decade, yet investment in energy efficiency must more than double, reaching US$5.9 trillion by 2030, to keep climate goals within reach.