EL7.AI
GeneralMedium•7 November 2026•
4 min read

Abu Dhabi Real Estate Transactions Jump 76.1% to AED 171.26 Billion in 9 Months

Key Facts

1Abu Dhabi real estate transactions totaled AED 171.26 billion across 38,483 deals in the first nine months of 2026.
2Real estate sales value rose 105% to AED 119.33 billion across 23,749 transactions.
3Foreign investment in investment zones totaled AED 86.11 billion, up 131%.
4Direct real estate investment by non-resident individuals reached AED 17.22 billion.

Abu Dhabi recorded AED 171.26 billion in real estate transactions across 38,483 deals in the first nine months of 2026, up 76.1% in value and 32.8% in number year on year, according to figures reported by the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre. The value totaled AED 97.19 billion across 28,977 transactions in the same period of 2025. Sales led activity, reaching AED 119.33 billion through 23,749 transactions. Sales value rose 105% and their number increased 49.2% compared with the first nine months of last year. Mortgages grew at a slower pace, with their value up 30.2% and the number of transactions up 13.2%. The figures show broader activity in both sales and financing, with sales contributing more to the overall increase.

Mortgage transactions totaled AED 45.92 billion across 14,390 deals in the first nine months of 2026, compared with AED 35.26 billion and 12,706 transactions in the same period of 2025. Sales value accelerated faster than mortgage value, reaching AED 119.33 billion compared with AED 58.20 billion in the corresponding period. The number of sale deals also rose to 23,749 from 15,910. Sales value growth of 105% was therefore faster than the 30.2% increase in mortgage value. By area, Al Reem Island led in transaction value at AED 29.86 billion. It was followed by Hudayriyat Island at AED 28.62 billion and Saadiyat Island at AED 18.69 billion.

Yas Island recorded AED 13.4 billion in transactions, while the value in Zayed City reached AED 5.36 billion during the period. In investment zones, foreign investment rose 131% year on year to AED 86.11 billion, equivalent to 81% of total investment value in those areas. Foreign direct investment in real estate by non-resident individuals reached AED 17.22 billion in the first nine months. That figure is more than double the AED 8.2 billion recorded for all of 2025. Investors from 121 nationalities contributed to that investment. The United Kingdom, China, Russia, the United States, France and Germany were among its leading sources by investment value.

The centre said Abu Dhabi recorded AED 117 billion in real estate transactions in the first half of 2026, up 112% year on year in value and 61.7% in number. The period included sales worth AED 86.1 billion across 16,838 transactions, and mortgages worth AED 26.7 billion across 8,876 transactions. Foreign direct investment in real estate reached AED 13.8 billion in the first half, up 309% year on year and exceeding the previous full-year total, according to the centre's announcement. Non-resident investors from 116 nationalities also participated in the market in the first half, compared with 82 nationalities in the same period of 2025. In a separate statement, the centre's Director General, Rashed Al Omaira, said the scale of investment reflects "the extent of individuals' and companies' long-term commitment to Abu Dhabi, a commitment that goes beyond the real estate transaction itself."

Transaction growth coincided with activity in project registrations and professional licensing. The centre registered 54 new real estate development projects in the first nine months of 2026. It also issued 3,677 licenses to sector workers, up 32% from the corresponding period of 2025. On housing supply, the centre's first-half report estimated the stock at about 409,000 units. The report expects about 71,000 units to be added in the emirate by 2030. Deliveries are also expected to peak at about 21,800 units in 2028.

The centre expects six areas to drive 77% of supply growth in the Abu Dhabi region from the second half of 2026 through 2030. In first-half data, residential unit sales reached AED 70.4 billion, compared with AED 25.3 billion in the first half of 2025. Off-plan units accounted for 89% of sales value and 82% of residential deal volume during the period. Apartment resale prices also rose 20% year on year, while villa prices increased 12%. Active residential lease contracts totaled 233,000, with a combined value of AED 9.3 billion. Rental value rose 8% and the number of contracts increased 2% year on year.

Real estate transactions in the emirate totaled AED 142 billion across 42,814 deals in 2025, a figure the centre described at the time as a record, with value up 48% and deal volume up 52% from 2024. In a separate real estate transparency index, Abu Dhabi advanced from 41st globally in 2024 to 33rd in 2026, ranking second in the Middle East and North Africa. Director General Rashed Al Omaira said the scale of investment reflects the long-term commitment of individuals and companies to the emirate. The centre's outlook includes delivery of additional housing units through 2030, with expected deliveries peaking in 2028. Most of the additional supply growth is also expected to be concentrated in six areas within the Abu Dhabi region.