The ABEX index

Definition and calculation

The ABEX index tracks changes in construction prices.
The ABEX Index Committee publishes the index twice a year.

The ABEX index = change in construction prices

The ABEX index is a compilation of the observations of the members of a Committee operating at national level.

It analyses the cost of building private homes and dwellings.

A national average is derived from these local data.

The ABEX index reflects this national average and the change in this average over a given period.

ABEX index calculated on 01/05/25 = 1057

The cost of building can vary from one region to another, both nationally and regionally, but there are some common denominators.

The price of materials

The price of basic materials is set taking into account the production of major groups manufacturing and marketing at national, European or global level.

The cost of labour

The cost of labour is defined by agreements for the whole country, as are the taxes applied in the construction sector.

Local criteria 

The differences we see from one region to another, from one place to another, are more a matter of specific criteria resulting from aesthetic choices, lifestyle and comfort.

They can also be the result of local criteria, which generally add to the final cost of a property.

These particular criteria cannot be taken into account by ABEX, but rather by the users of the Index.

When it was set up in 1963, the ABEX Index Committee decided to calculate changes in construction prices, based on "typical" measurements of buildings representative of the housing stock in Belgium.

The first index

The first index - or Index 1 - was calculated and attributed on 1 January 1914.

The Index Committee

The Committee is tasked with calculating the ABEX index.
It is represented on the Executive Committee by the following members:

Chair 
Luc RIMANQUE

Secretary - Rapporteur
Philippe VERMEREN

History of index values

ABEX indices since 1914