Dubai real estate demand surges as population hits 4.58 million

Dubai real estate market property absorption rates Dubai population growth foreign direct investment residential construction

Dubai is experiencing significant real estate and population growth. A report from fäm Properties indicates that 564,072 residential properties are currently under construction, with 75.5% already sold. Specifically, 82.9% of the 96,585 homes scheduled for delivery this year have been sold, with villas seeing a 95% absorption rate.

In the first half of 2026, Dubai completed 104 real estate projects valued at AED 111 billion, a 52% increase in investment value compared to the same period in 2025. These projects added 24,537 new units to the market.

This economic activity coincides with rapid demographic shifts. Dubai's population grew by over 1.1 million people in five years, reaching 4.58 million by the end of 2025. This 31.7% increase was largely driven by the expatriate population, which rose from approximately 3.2 million in 2021 to 4.27 million in 2025.

Entities

DXBinteract · Digital Dubai · Dubai · Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum · Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum · fäm Properties

Sources

Dubai: 75. 5 percent of homes under construction already sold as demand keeps pace with supply [economymiddleeast.com]

5 days ago

Majority of Dubai homes under construction already sold as demand keeps pace with supply | Biz RapidX [bizrapidx.com]

6 days ago

Hudayriyat Island Leads Abu Dhabi Property Market With $5. 2 Billion in Residential Sales [bazaartimes.com]

5 days ago

90% of homes under construction in Dubai in 2026 have already been sold [www.emirates247.com]

5 days ago

Dubai’s rapid population growth: 1. 1 million new residents in five years driven by foreign investment, jobs and tourism [gulfnews.com]

6 days ago