UAE property transactions rise across five emirates as foreign investment grows

UAE real estate recorded strong growth in 2026 as authorities reported higher transaction values and volumes, with investment demand, development activity and foreign participation rising across the country. The market showed resilience, and property is contributing increasingly to economic diversification. Each emirate continued to offer different products and investment routes, from large master-planned developments to smaller deals. That range gives local and foreign buyers more ways to enter the market.

The investor base was internationally diverse. Foreign investment grew, the development pipeline expanded, and regulatory and legislative improvements strengthened the country’s appeal for long-term property investment. Those conditions supported activity in five emirates.

The reporting periods differ. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah published nine-month or half-year figures, Dubai reported 10-month figures and Ajman reported October alone. The totals are therefore not directly comparable, but each set shows a market absorbing new investment and development.

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi recorded AED171.26 billion in transactions across 38,483 deals in the first nine months of 2026. Transaction value rose 76.1% year on year and volume climbed 32.8%.

Foreign investment in Abu Dhabi’s investment zones increased 131% year on year to AED86.11 billion in the same period, equal to 81% of total investment value in those zones. Non-resident individuals invested AED17.22 billion, more than double the AED8.2 billion recorded in all of 2025.

Sales transaction value rose 105% to AED119.33 billion across 23,749 deals. Mortgage transactions reached AED45.92 billion. The emirate registered 54 new real estate development projects, and licensed real estate professionals rose 32% year on year to 3,677.

Dubai

Dubai transactions approached AED625 billion in the first 10 months of 2026 across 181,866 deals. Sales were about AED411.98 billion, mortgages reached AED164 billion and property gifts totaled about AED49 billion.

In the first half of 2026, Dubai completed 104 real estate projects with a combined investment value above AED111 billion. That compared with 75 completed projects worth AED73 billion in the first half of 2025. The increase reflected an expanding development pipeline and demand from domestic and international buyers.

Sharjah

Sharjah transactions totaled AED46.8 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 5.6% from AED44.3 billion a year earlier. The transaction count rose 14% to 91,560. Some 46,125 properties were traded across investment categories.

The emirate attracted investors from 130 nationalities and gained 9,891 new investors in the period. Sales transactions numbered 24,749 and were worth AED35 billion. Mortgage activity was about AED10.2 billion across 3,839 transactions.

Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah

Ajman recorded 1,140 real estate transactions worth AED1.95 billion in October 2026. Property trading totaled AED1.22 billion across 900 transactions, while mortgage activity reached AED373 million across 139 transactions. The activity covered multiple property market segments and varied investment options.

Ras Al Khaimah transactions totaled about AED2.89 billion in the first half of 2026. Sales were AED1.353 billion across 1,274 transactions, mortgages totaled AED1.160 billion across 463 deals and property waivers were about AED380 million across 348 transactions.

The spread of activity across five emirates gives the market several sources of demand. Abu Dhabi’s investment-zone figures reflect large foreign capital flows, while Sharjah’s nationality count and Ajman’s smaller deals point to a wider base of individual buyers. That breadth can help absorb new supply as the project pipeline expands, but it also leaves the market exposed to how quickly those projects are completed and occupied. Abu Dhabi’s 81% foreign share in investment zones shows that capital there depends heavily on international buyers. Sharjah’s 130 nationalities and 9,891 new investors show a similar pattern at smaller ticket sizes. For developers, that mix supports launches. For buyers, it raises the importance of completion timelines and rental demand.

Across the five emirates, the figures indicated sustained demand supported by growing investment participation, development expansion and appetite for diverse assets.