Abu Dhabi's real estate market recorded Dh171.26 billion in transactions in the first nine months of 2026, with sales, mortgages and foreign investment all rising, according to Gulf News — Business/Property.
According to Gulf News — Business/Property, the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) reported total transactions of Dh171.26 billion across 38,483 deals in the first nine months of 2026. That is a 76.1% rise in value and a 32.8% rise in volume versus the same period of 2025, when the market recorded Dh97.19 billion across 28,977 deals. Sales were the main driver: 23,749 transactions worth Dh119.33 billion, up 105% in value and 49.2% in volume year-on-year. Mortgage activity grew more modestly, with 14,390 transactions worth Dh45.92 billion (+13.2% in volume, +30.2% in value). By district, Al Reem Island led with Dh29.86 billion, followed by Al Hudayriyat Island (Dh28.62 billion), Al Saadiyat Island (Dh18.69 billion), Yas Island (Dh13.4 billion) and Zayed City (Dh5.36 billion). Six districts, including these five plus Khalifa City, are projected to account for 77% of incremental real estate supply through 2030. Foreign investment in Abu Dhabi's investment zones rose 131% year-on-year to Dh86.11 billion, or 81% of total investment value in those zones. Foreign direct investment by non-resident individuals reached Dh17.22 billion, more than double the Dh8.2 billion recorded for all of 2025, with investors from 121 nationalities; the UK, China, Russia, the US, France and Germany were the leading sources by value. On the regulatory side, ADREC registered 54 new development projects and issued 3,677 professional licences (+32%), and introduced a mandatory Real Estate Broker Transformation Course. Abu Dhabi also rose from 41st to 33rd in JLL's 2026 Global Real Estate Transparency Index, moving into the Transparent tier and ranking second in the MENA region. This article is a factual summary of reported statistics, not investment advice.