Abu Dhabi property market 2026: AED 117bn in six months and a run of ADREC records

Abu Dhabi is breaking its own records for a second year running. The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) reported AED 117bn of real estate transactions in the first half of 2026, up 112% in value and 61.7% in volume. The first quarter alone, at AED 66bn, was the strongest quarter on record.

2025 against 2026

Metric	Full-year 2025	H1 2026
All transactions	AED 142bn, 42 814 deals	AED 117bn
Sales	AED 99.4bn, 25 604 deals	AED 86.1bn, 16 838 deals
Mortgages	AED 42.7bn, 17 210 deals	AED 26.7bn, 8 876 deals
Foreign direct investment	AED 8.2bn	AED 13.8bn

The last row is the telling one: foreign buyers put more into the emirate in six months than in the whole of 2025. Non-resident investors came from 116 nationalities against 82 a year earlier, led by the UK, China, Russia, the US, Germany and France. Investment zones, open to buyers of any nationality, drew AED 75bn, up 181%.

The residential and off-plan picture

Residential sales reached AED 70.4bn in the half, nearly triple a year earlier. Off-plan took 89% of the value and 82% of deals. Concentration is high: ten developers accounted for 90% of primary off-plan sales, and ten projects for 43% of units sold. Resale prices rose 20% for apartments and 12% for villas year on year. Housing stock stands at about 409 000 units, growing 2.9% a year on average since 2022. Construction-stage mortgages covering up to 75% have added fuel — see off-plan mortgages in Abu Dhabi.

What follows for a buyer

Demand is outrunning supply. Stock grows under 3% a year while sales multiply, which explains double-digit resale growth and fast sell-outs.

Developers make the market. With ten firms taking 90% of primary sales, choosing the developer matters more than chasing the "hot" location.

The risk sits in off-plan. 89% of sales are promises that will be delivered over years. Check registration, escrow and a realistic schedule, not just the entry price.

The data is now checkable. Abu Dhabi has opened its transaction records — see Abu Dhabi has opened its transaction data — so verify district prices before trusting a brochure. And factor in the temporary rent-increase freeze when modelling yield: Abu Dhabi's rent cap at 0%.

Weighing the capital against Dubai? Start with Abu Dhabi or Dubai: where it makes more sense to buy and our Abu Dhabi emirate page.