The 100 largest companies in the construction sector globally generated, in 2024, total sales of 1.978 billion dollars, which is equivalent to approximately 1.8 billion euros at the current exchange rate, according to Deloitte’s Global Powers of Construction 2024 report.
More than half of this revenue (51.2%) comes from Chinese companies, followed by Europe (22.0%), Japan (9.1%), the United States (8.8%) and South Korea (4.7%).
Although total revenue fell slightly compared to the previous year (a drop of 1%), the geographic distribution of sales remained stable. A 5% decrease in Chinese companies’ revenue stands out, while other regions, such as Europe, showed an increase in sales.
Mota-Engil, the only Portuguese company included in the ranking, rose to 52nd position, reaching a sales volume of 6,439 million dollars (approximately 5.8 billion euros) and a market capitalization of 925 million dollars (approximately 830 million euros).
Europe, with 42 companies in the ranking, continues to have the largest regional representation, and sales by European construction companies grew 6.2%, totaling 435.9 billion dollars (around 395 billion euros).
Although the market capitalization of European companies fell by 4.9%, three French groups were mainly responsible for this drop. On the other hand, Spanish groups stood out, with an 11.9% increase in sales, driven by companies such as ACS and Acciona.
European companies continue to lead internationalization, with 66% of their revenues coming from foreign markets. VINCI, for example, remained at the top of the international sales ranking, generating 44.8 billion dollars (around 40.5 billion euros).
Deloitte projects, despite the slowdown in 2024, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% for the sector between 2025 and 2030.
This growth will be supported by factors such as urbanization, population aging, digitalization and decarbonization. These elements are expected to drive significant investments in transport, energy, telecommunications and digital assets, supported by the adoption of technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and management solutions based on artificial intelligence.
Miguel Fontes, partner from Deloitte, highlights that “geopolitical uncertainty has led to a widespread economic slowdown, with a significant impact on the construction sector”. He added that, despite the challenges, the sector demonstrates resilience and growth prospects until 2030, driven by factors such as urbanization and digitalization.
However, in the short term, the outlook remains uncertain. Global construction production grew 3.1% in 2024, but is expected to slow to 2.3% in 2025 due to risks of recession and trade tensions, even as inflation declines, the report highlights.