UAE real estate sector maintains strong momentum, growing global confidence

Abu Dhabi: The UAE real estate sector continues to deliver strong performance, supported by growing investment demand, expanding development activity, a diverse investor base and continued enhancements to regulatory and legislative frameworks that have strengthened the attractiveness of the country's property markets and reinforced its position as a global destination for long-term investment and capital. The sector's growing performance across the emirates reflects the resilience of local markets and their ability to sustain growth, supported by a diverse range of property products and projects, increasing domestic and international demand and a broadening investor base representing different nationalities. These factors continue to strengthen the sector's contribution to the UAE's sustainable economic diversification. The latest data released by real estate authorities across the country show strong levels of activity, transactions and investment, alongside growth in development projects and expanding investment opportunities across local markets. In Abu Dhabi, real estate transactions reached AED171.26 billion during the first nine months of 2026 through 38,483 transactions, representing growth of 76.1 percent in value and 32.8 percent in transaction volume compared with the same period of 2025. Data from the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) showed that foreign investment in investment zones rose 131 percent year-on-year to AED86.11 billion, accounting for 81 percent of total investment value in those areas. Investment by non-resident individuals in Abu Dhabi's real estate sector reached AED17.22 billion during the same period, more than double the AED8.2 billion recorded during the whole of 2025. Sales transactions increased 105 percent in value to AED119.33 billion through 23,749 transactions, while mortgage transactions reached AED45.92 billion. ADREC also registered 54 new real estate development projects during the first nine months of the year, while the number of licensed real estate professionals reached 3,677, up 32 percent compared with the same period last year. In Dubai, the real estate sector continued to record high levels of activity, with transactions approaching AED625 billion during the first ten months of 2026 across 181,866 transactions, according to Dubai Land Department data. Property sales reached around AED411.98 billion, while mortgages totalled approximately AED164 billion and gifts reached around AED49 billion, reflecting the breadth and diversity of activity in the emirate's property market. During the first half of the year, 104 real estate projects were completed in Dubai with a total investment value exceeding AED111 billion, compared with 75 projects worth AED73 billion during the same period in 2025. The performance reflects the strength of Dubai's property market and its continued appeal to local and international investors, supported by diverse property offerings, expanding development activity and an evolving investment and regulatory environment. In Sharjah, total monetary real estate transactions reached AED46.8 billion during the first nine months of 2026, compared with AED44.3 billion in the same period of 2025, representing growth of 5.6 percent. The total number of transactions rose 14 percent to 91,560. Sharjah's property market attracted investors from 130 nationalities, with 46,125 properties traded across different investment categories and 9,891 new investors entering the market, reflecting the diversity of its investor base and the attractiveness of the emirate's property environment. Sales transactions totalled 24,749 with a trading value of AED35 billion, while mortgage transactions reached around AED10.2 billion across 3,839 transactions, highlighting the diversity of market activity and continued demand for different property products and investment opportunities. In Ajman, the real estate sector recorded 1,140 transactions in October with a total value of AED1.95 billion, while property trading reached AED1.22 billion through 900 transactions. The same month saw 139 mortgage transactions worth a total of AED373 million, reflecting continued activity across different types of real estate transactions and the diversity of investment opportunities available in the emirate. In Ras Al Khaimah, real estate transactions during the first half of 2026 reached around AED2.89 billion. The total comprised AED1.353 billion in sales through 1,274 transactions, AED1.160 billion in mortgages through 463 transactions, and around AED380 million in property waivers across 348 transactions.