Dubai's property market kept its momentum through the first half of 2026. Data from the Dubai Land Department shows real estate transactions reached approximately AED419.94 billion across 112,850 deals between January and June, a scale that underlines how much investor appetite the emirate continues to pull in, both from residents and from overseas buyers.
The headline number is only part of the story. A closer look at the breakdown shows where that capital is actually landing, and one segment in particular had a standout half year.
Where the AED419.9 billion went
Completed, ready property sales made up the largest share of activity, totalling AED146.69 billion across 27,160 transactions. Off-plan property sales were close behind at AED139.75 billion across 58,840 transactions. Together, these two categories accounted for real estate sales of more than AED286.44 billion across roughly 86,000 deals.
| Segment | Value (AED) | Transactions |
|---|---|---|
| Completed property sales | 146.69 billion | 27,160 |
| Off-plan property sales | 139.75 billion | 58,840 |
| Off-plan office sales | 13.1 billion | 1,668 |
| Total H1 2026 transactions | 419.94 billion | 112,850 |
Off-plan offices had their best half year on record
The standout figure in the report is the surge in off-plan office sales, which reached AED13.1 billion across 1,668 deals in just six months. To put that in perspective, that single half year figure already exceeds the sector's combined off-plan office sales for the previous seven years, from 2019 through 2025, which totalled AED5.48 billion across 1,821 deals over that entire period.
A record like this signals that investors are no longer treating Dubai commercial real estate as a side bet to residential. Off-plan office demand of this scale points to businesses and investors positioning early for future workspace supply, a trend worth watching closely through the second half of 2026.
What is driving the demand
Dubai's appeal to property investors rests on a familiar combination: investor friendly regulation, long term residency options such as the Golden Visa, strong infrastructure, and continued population growth. Ongoing economic diversification and a steady pipeline of major development projects have reinforced that appeal even as some global markets face higher borrowing costs and slower growth.
The resilience shows up across the board, from luxury villas to off-plan towers to now, increasingly, commercial office space. It also lines up with a broader shift already visible in Dubai housing, where long-term living is becoming the market's real growth engine, suggesting the market's strength in H1 2026 is broad based rather than concentrated in a single segment.
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What to watch next
If off-plan office demand keeps pace through the second half of the year, 2026 could end up being a defining year for Dubai's commercial real estate segment specifically, not just its residential market. For now, the first half figures confirm Dubai remains one of the more resilient property markets globally, at a time when many other global cities are seeing transaction volumes cool.
