ABSTRACT
Measuring construction used to be a straightforward exercise. Accounting for construction at the broader levels requires measurement, and that takes many forms. Building work undertaken as part of maintenance, renovation and refurbishment is an added complication; in many places this sort of work represents a large part of total construction activity, but its value may or may not be included in measures of construction industry activity. National accounts in different countries measure construction activity in different ways, and that adds further layers of complexity to the challenges of comparing industries or even specific industry characteristics across national boundaries. Official data on construction activity can be confusing. Construction in national accounts can be even more complicated. The volume of output can be expressed in other ways; in Measuring Construction the idea of purchasing power parity was described and construction-specific applications of the approach were explored.
