Dubai’s real estate sector had a standout first half of 2026, with 104 projects completed at a combined value of more than Dh111 billion, new data from the Dubai Land Department (DLD) shows.
That’s up sharply from the first half of 2025, when 75 projects worth Dh73 billion were completed, a 38.7 per cent jump in project numbers and a 52 per cent rise in value.
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Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, said the numbers reflect growing global confidence in Dubai’s economy.
He said the results show Dubai is on track with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to double the size of the economy by 2033 and place Dubai among the world’s top three cities.
“The significant increase in the volume of real estate transactions, the number of projects and the value of investment inflows into these projects represents a renewed vote of confidence from the global business community and investors in the strength of Dubai’s economic environment,” Sheikh Hamdan said.
He credited the momentum to Dubai’s flexible legislation, world-class infrastructure, transparency, and close partnership with the private sector – a combination, he said, that keeps drawing in global capital and delivering strong returns for investors.
“Dubai continues to create new opportunities for growth and sustainable expansion through continued comprehensive urban development that keeps pace with population and economic growth and future requirements, in line with the highest standards of quality of life,” he added.
More homes, more land changing hands
The growth wasn’t limited to completed projects as nearly every key metric moved up.
New residential units climbed 36 per cent to 24,537, from 18,043 a year earlier.
The built-up area ready for handover grew 23.4 per cent, reaching 1.95 million square metres, up from 1.58 million square metres.
Land values saw the biggest leap: the value of land allocated to projects surged 135 per cent to Dh19.46 billion, from Dh8.27 billion, while the land area allocated to completed projects more than doubled to around one million square metres, from 484,000 square metres.
Taken together, the figures point to a real estate sector that remains central to Dubai’s economic diversification push – and one that officials say continues to stand out as a safe, high-growth bet for investors, backed by strong fundamentals, flexible rules and world-class infrastructure.
Source: Khaleej Times