New Launch - India Real Estate Report 2026.
The UAE real estate sector delivered one of its strongest half-year performances on record in H1 2026.
Activity was broad-based. Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah all recorded growth in transactions, values and investor participation.
The data was released by real estate authorities across the respective emirates.
Abu Dhabi: Transactions Double, FDI Surges 309%
Abu Dhabi's total real estate transaction value reached around AED117 billion in H1 2026. That is up 112% compared with H1 2025. Transaction volumes rose 61.7%.
- Sales transactions: AED86.1 billion across 16,838 deals, up 163.7%
- Mortgage transactions: AED26.7 billion
- Foreign direct investment in real estate: around AED13.8 billion, up 309% — exceeding the full-year 2025 total
- Nationalities represented among non-resident foreign investors: 116
- Investment zones attracted: around AED75 billion
- Residential unit sales: AED70.4 billion; off-plan accounted for 89% of sales value
- Resale prices: apartments up 20%, villas up 12%
- Active residential tenancy contracts: around 233,000, totalling AED9.3 billion — up 8% year-on-year
Dubai: 104 Projects Completed Worth AED111 Billion
Dubai completed 104 real estate projects in H1 2026 with a combined investment value exceeding AED111 billion.
That compares with 75 projects worth AED73 billion in H1 2025 representing 38.7% growth in project count and 52% growth in value.
- New real estate units: 24,537, up more than 36%
- Completed construction space: 1.95 million sqm, up 23.4%
- Land cost allocated to projects: AED19.46 billion, up more than 135%
- Land area allocated to completed projects: around one million sqm, more than doubling from 484,000 sqm in H1 2025
Also Read: Wynn Al Marjan Island Unveils Ultra-Private Townhomes
Sharjah, Ajman and RAK Add Depth to the UAE Story
Sharjah recorded real estate transactions of around AED29.5 billion in H1 2026, up 9.3%, with 59,460 transactions a 23.7% increase.
Investors from 121 nationalities participated. UAE nationals invested around AED14.9 billion, Arab investors around AED5 billion and other nationalities around AED8.2 billion.
Eleven new projects were registered during the period.
Ajman recorded 6,815 transactions worth more than AED10.8 billion, including AED7.64 billion in trading transactions and AED1.88 billion in mortgages.
Ras Al Khaimah recorded AED2.89 billion in total real estate transactions between January and June, split across AED1.353 billion in sales, AED1.160 billion in mortgages and around AED380 million in property transfers.
Also Read: UAE Banks Expand Off-Plan Financing During Construction
What the Numbers Say About the UAE Market
Three patterns stand out from the H1 data. First, Abu Dhabi's FDI surge exceeding the full year of 2025 in just six months points to a step change in international capital allocation to the emirate.
Second, Dubai's 135% jump in land costs allocated to completed projects reflects how dramatically land values have moved as development activity accelerated.
Third, the breadth of investor nationalities 116 in Abu Dhabi, 121 in Sharjah confirms the UAE's real estate market is drawing capital from an increasingly diverse global base, not just from its traditional feeder markets.
Enjoyed this update? Visit PropTech Pulse for more real estate news, investment insights and property market trends.
