House prices in Malta increased by 3.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2018, compared with the previous quarter, according to statistics agency Eurostat.
It was the second-highest quarterly increase across the EU, second only to the Netherlands, where house prices in the third quarter rose by 3.3 per cent.
Decreases were observed in Italy (-0.8 per cent), Romania (-0.7 per cent), Finland (-0.4 per cent), Slovakia (-0.3 per cent) and Hungary (-0.2 per cent).
Eurostat said that house prices, as measured by the House Price Index, rose by 1.6 per cent in the euro area and by 1.5 per cent in the EU in the third quarter of 2018, compared with the second quarter of 2018.
When compared to 12 months prior, house price increases during the third quarter of 2018 were more significant, at 4.3 per cent in both the euro area and the EU.
The highest annual increases in house prices in the third quarter of 2018 were recorded in Slovenia (+15.1 per cent), the Netherlands (+10.2 per cent) and Ireland (+9.1 per cent).
Prices fell in Sweden (-2.1 per cent) and Italy (-0.8 per cent).
