The UAE’s property market maintained strong momentum during the first half of 2026, with significant activity recorded across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah. Abu Dhabi real estate transactions reached AED 117 billion, up 112% year-on-year, while Dubai completed 104 projects with an investment value exceeding AED 111 billion. Alongside rising foreign investment and participation from an increasingly diverse international investor base, the figures highlight the continued depth and expansion of real estate activity across the Emirates.
Original article: UAE property: Abu Dhabi sales soar 164%, Dubai delivers 24,537 new units by Arabian Business.
Key Insights:
Abu Dhabi Records Significant Growth in Sales and Foreign Investment
Abu Dhabi recorded approximately AED 117 billion in real estate transactions during H1 2026, representing a 112% increase from the same period last year. Sales reached AED 86.1 billion across 16,838 transactions, an increase of 163.7%, while foreign direct investment in the property market rose 309% to approximately AED 13.8 billion – exceeding the total recorded throughout 2025. Non-resident investors represented 116 nationalities, demonstrating the emirate’s expanding international investor base.
Dubai’s Development Pipeline Continues to Deliver
Dubai completed 104 real estate projects worth more than AED 111 billion during the first half of the year, compared with 75 projects worth AED 73 billion in H1 2025. Project completions increased 38.7%, while investment value rose 52%. A further 24,537 new real estate units were delivered, up more than 36% year-on-year, as development activity continued to expand alongside Dubai’s wider population and economic growth.
Property Activity Extends Across the Northern Emirates
Growth was not limited to the UAE’s two largest property markets. Sharjah recorded AED 29.5 billion in transactions, up 9.3%, with 59,460 transactions completed during the period and investors representing 121 nationalities. Ajman recorded more than AED 10.8 billion in real estate transactions, while Ras Al Khaimah reached approximately AED 2.89 billion. The activity across multiple Emirates demonstrates the increasing breadth of the UAE’s property sector and the range of markets available to domestic and international investors.
What H1 Performance Signals for UAE Real Estate
The first-half figures highlight a property market whose growth is increasingly broad-based. Dubai continues to deliver substantial new supply and development, while Abu Dhabi has recorded particularly strong growth in sales and international investment. At the same time, Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah are contributing to a more diverse national real estate landscape.
International participation is an important part of this growth. Abu Dhabi attracted investors from 116 nationalities, while Sharjah recorded participation from 121 nationalities. Combined with the significant rise in foreign direct investment, this demonstrates the UAE property market’s continued ability to attract capital from a wide range of global buyers.
For investors, this expanding landscape creates greater choice across locations, property types and investment strategies. While the individual Emirates remain at different stages of development and offer distinct opportunities, the overall H1 performance points to sustained confidence in UAE real estate and continued demand from both domestic and international markets.
