Here are the latest statistics on the contribution to GDP of the construction industry in each country which of course, is led by Panama.
Contribution to GDP of each country: Panama – 17.4%, Honduras – 6.4%, Nicaragua – 5.3%, Costa Rica – 5.1%, El Salvador- 3.0% , and Guatemala – 2.8%.
A report by the Regional Organization of Chambers of the Construction Industry in Central America and the Caribbean (Ordecccac) provides figures for the construction sector in 2012 for the countries in the region, as well as projections for 2013 and 2014.
In regards to the amount of construction in meters, Costa Rica tops the list of countries in the region with 6 million square meters, followed by Panama with 2.7 million, Guatemala with 1.2 million, Nicaragua with 1 million, Honduras with 900,000, and El Salvador with 800,000.
Data from 2012 on Quantitative Housing Demand in the region is 411,000 homes in Nicaragua, 410,000 in Honduras, 270,000 in Guatemala, 137,000 in Panama, 44,000 in El Salvador, and 25,000 in Costa Rica.
Source: CentralAmericaData.COM
Sorry, I’m late with my comments. Obviously the construction statistics cover more than just housing and commercial construction. Panama benefits from dramatic investments in infra-structure: cintas, metro and what have you. Not sure if the Panama Canal construction shows under government spending at all since they seem to be operating outside the government statistics. But, we’ll stay “in the lead” for a while,
since lineas 2 and 3 of the Metro are being committed and who knows a rail connection with David and Costa Rica may be in our future as
well. Did I forget the convention centre and the airport? The sky is the limit!