Mota-Engil ranks 55th among world’s biggest builders

Portuguese construction group Mota-Engil ranks 55th among the world’s 100 largest builders by sales and market value, according to Deloitte’s Global Powers of Construction 2026 study sent to ECOnews.

Deloitte based the ranking on Mota-Engil’s 2025 sales of €5.301 billion and a market capitalisation of $1.781 billion (or about €1.4 billion). The Portuguese group, led by Carlos Mota Santos, sits in a table topped by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, China Railway Group and China Railway Construction Corporation.

Miguel Nuno Fontes, Deloitte Portugal partner for construction, told ECOnews the sector still faces execution constraints including geopolitics, financing costs, higher raw material prices, financial market volatility and labour shortages. But he said demand continues to be supported by urbanisation, the energy transition and the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure such as data centres.

The report says Europe shows a positive trend and leads the ranking by number of companies, with 40 groups listed, helping total sector revenues approach $2 trillion. Deloitte said European builders benefit heavily from business outside their home markets, noting that 67% of their revenue is generated abroad. Fontes pointed to Mota-Engil as a national example, with Africa and Latin America making a strong contribution.

That international footprint was also visible in Mota-Engil’s first-half results, when the Porto-based company posted a 24% rise in profit to €74 million and a 6% increase in revenue to €2.898 billion, while its order book reached a record above €17.7 billion. Deloitte said long-term demand for the industry continues to be supported by demographic change, digital transformation and the shift to low-carbon economies.

Originally published at Eco.pt