Direct answer: what do official sources say about UAE land so far in 2026?
As of 27 October 2026, full-year and Q4 2026 regulator packs are not out yet. The best published land and plot picture is still year-to-date: Dubai Land Department data reported via Gulf Today show 7,981 land sales for about AED 125 billion in Jan–Jul 2026 (~8% of sales count, ~39% of sales value) [2]; Abu Dhabi’s ADREC reports AED 117 billion of all real-estate transactions in H1 2026 with Wadeem (Plots) having led 2025 residential projects by value [3][4][5]; Ras Al Khaimah Municipality logged ~AED 18.8 billion total transaction value in 2025 with Al Marjan sales ~AED 940 million [8]; Sharjah’s SRERD-attributed industrial property market alone topped AED 9.24 billion in 2025, with 1,969 industrial sales in H1 2026 [9][15]. No emirate publishes a clean nationwide plot AED/sq.ft index in the sources below — and we do not invent one. This page replaces an earlier Q4-style brief that included unsourced community price ranges.
Information only — not investment, legal or valuation advice. UAE Land Deals is a land-only portal: plots and land leases, cited to regulators.
Key takeaways
- Dubai land is a value heavyweight: Jan–Jul 2026 land sales ~AED 125 billion across 7,981 deals — only ~8% of sales count but ~39% of sales value [2]. Top areas by land value included Me’aisem 2, Al Yalayis 5, Al Ruwayyah 1 and Palm Jebel Ali [2].
- Abu Dhabi: AED 142 billion transactions in 2025; AED 117 billion in H1 2026; Wadeem (Plots) ~AED 4.6 billion in 2025; investment zones hit AED 75 billion of investment in H1 2026; KEZAD leased 3.3 km² net new land in 2025 [3][4][5][7][11].
- RAK: ~AED 18.8 billion total transaction value in 2025; Al Marjan sales ~AED 940 million; Wynn Al Marjan financed toward 2027 opening [8][10].
- Sharjah: Record AED 65.6 billion trading value in 2025; industrial property transactions >AED 9.24 billion in 2025; H1 2026 trading ~AED 29.5 billion with 1,969 industrial sales [9][15][16].
- Cross-cutting drivers: developer land banking ahead of unit pipelines, freehold/foreign-ownership zone rules, industrial free-zone lease products, and tourism/gaming anchors (RAK) — detailed below with citations.
- Still removed from the old Q4 piece: unsourced AED/sq.ft GFA ranges for Business Bay, Dubai South, JVC and Al Marjan.
What’s driving demand for UAE land (cross-emirate)
1. Developers securing plots ahead of the next launch cycle (especially Dubai)
Gulf Today, citing DLD data, links Jan–Jul 2026 land purchases to developers building inventory of development sites for the next residential and commercial cycle: land was ~1,140 sales per month at about AED 17.8 billion average monthly value [2]. Land was only ~8% of deal count but ~39% of sales value — evidence that large parcels and development land, not just villa plots for end-users, dominate the money [2]. Secondary market commentary in 2025–2026 likewise describes developers competing for plots when central supply is tight; we treat that as colour, not a primary number.
2. Off-plan unit pipelines that consume development land (Abu Dhabi)
ADREC’s H1 2026 market report (via WAM) shows off-plan at 89% of residential sales value and about 71,000 additional homes projected by 2030, with six districts driving 77% of incremental supply [6]. That pipeline is why plot projects can lead sales-value league tables (Wadeem Plots, ~AED 4.6 billion in 2025) [4].
3. Foreign freehold and investment-zone expansion
Abu Dhabi’s investment zones (50 after eight H1 2026 approvals) attracted AED 75 billion in H1 2026; real-estate FDI was AED 13.8 billion [11]. Sharjah’s Resolution 30/2022 path opened 50 approved projects to all nationalities by H1 2026 [16]. RAK lists named freehold areas for non-Emirati buyers [see RAK report]. Dubai’s freehold regime is mature and underpins the DLD land-sales channel [2][12][13]. Zone and project rules, not slogans, decide who can buy which plot.
4. Industrial policy, ports and free-zone land leases
- Abu Dhabi / KEZAD: 3.3 km² net new land leases in 2025 plus Town Centre land sales; Musaffah Innovation District (Oct 2026) adds a published musataha/leasehold land-release roadmap [7][14].
- Sharjah: industrial property transaction value >AED 9.24 billion in 2025; ~40% of UAE industrial establishments (officials via WAM); SAIF and Hamriyah lease products; May 2026 Sharjah–Oman logistics corridor [15][16][see Sharjah report].
- RAK / RAKEZ: industrial land leases from ~2,500 m² for factories and logistics [see RAK report].
5. Tourism and integrated-resort anchors (RAK)
Wynn Al Marjan Island’s completed USD 2.4 billion financing and 2027 opening target anchor hospitality and adjacent plot demand on Al Marjan Island [10]. That is a RAK-specific driver; it should not be pasted onto Dubai South logistics plots.
6. What is not a demand driver in this brief
Unsourced “prices up X% across the UAE” charts, aggregator AED/sq.ft averages without a regulator table, and mixing Dubai land sales with Sharjah industrial sales into one national index.
Dubai land / plots
| Period | Land/plot sales | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (full year) | about 4,411 plot sales (up 8.97% on 4,048 in 2024) | 2024 plots: AED 80.9bn (2025 plot value not stated in the cited release) | DLD via Zawya [1] |
| Jan–Jul 2026 | 7,981 land sales | about AED 125bn (39% of all sales value; ~8% of sales count) | DLD data via Gulf Today [2] |
| Q1 2026 (all property — context) | 60,303 real-estate transactions | AED 252bn total transaction value | DLD official news [12] |
Top land-sales areas by value, Jan–Jul 2026 (DLD data as reported by Gulf Today) [2]:
| Rank | Area | Land sales value | Deals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Me’aisem 2 | AED 10.4bn | 544 |
| 2 | Al Yalayis 5 | AED 7.14bn | 907 |
| 3 | Al Ruwayyah 1 | AED 6.3bn | 3 |
| 4 | Palm Jebel Ali | AED 5.7bn | 140 |
| 5 | Umm Suqeim 1 | AED 4.6bn | 30 |
| 6 | Al Yalayis 1 | AED 4bn | 177 |
| 7 | Me’aisem 1 | AED 3.2bn | 229 |
| 8 | Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens | AED 3bn | 119 |
| 9 | Palm Jumeirah | AED 2.4bn | 44 |
| 10 | City of Arabia | AED 2.25bn | 20 |
Treat newspaper tables as secondary until you re-pull the same filters on DLD open data [13]. The concentration in southern / emerging sectors (Me’aisem, Yalayis, Palm Jebel Ali) is consistent with developers positioning for future residential and coastal product — but that geographic reading is interpretive; the table itself is the citable fact [2].
Abu Dhabi land context
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| All transactions, 2025 | AED 142bn from 42,814 transactions; sales AED 99.4bn | ADREC [3] |
| Top residential project by sales value, 2025 | Wadeem (Plots), about AED 4.6bn | ADREC [4] |
| All transactions, H1 2026 | AED 117bn; sales AED 86.1bn from 16,838 transactions | ADREC [5][11] |
| Residential land/buildings sales, H1 2026 | about AED 6.6bn | ADREC H1 2026 PDF [14a] |
| Investment zones investment, H1 2026 | AED 75bn; 50 zones | Abu Dhabi Media Office [11] |
| Musataha / long leases, H1 2026 | AED 4bn | Abu Dhabi Media Office [11] |
| KEZAD land leases / sales, 2025 | 3.3 km² net new leases; land sales 4.6 km² (AED 2.47bn) and 1.0 km² (AED 840m) | AD Ports Group [7] |
ADREC counts land allocated for individual villas inside residential unit figures, so there is no clean plots-only total [4][14a]. Detail: Abu Dhabi land market report.
Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah (land-relevant)
Ras Al Khaimah
- Total transaction value ~AED 18.8 billion in 2025; sales value ~AED 3.19 billion; Al Marjan Island ~AED 940 million sales value [8].
- Wynn Al Marjan Island: financing completed; opening targeted for 2027 [10].
- Freehold areas and 2% + 2% registration fees: see Municipality service card (detail in RAK report).
- RAKEZ: industrial land leases from ~2,500 m².
- Detail: RAK land market report.
Sharjah
- AED 65.6 billion trading value in 2025 [9]; ~AED 29.5 billion in H1 2026 [16].
- Industrial property transactions >AED 9.24 billion in 2025 (4,416 industrial properties); 1,969 industrial sales in H1 2026 (12% of sales) [15][16].
- Ownership for non-GCC nationals is project-gated (50 projects under Res. 30/2022 by H1 2026) [16].
- Free-zone land: SAIF and Hamriyah leases, not mainland-style freehold by default.
- Detail: Sharjah commercial & industrial land report.
Rules and registration paths (quick map)
| Emirate | Land registration / regulator | Foreign freehold path (summary) |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai | Dubai Land Department (DLD) | Designated freehold areas (mature regime) [12][13] |
| Abu Dhabi | ADREC / DARI | Investment zones (50 as of H1 2026) [11] |
| Sharjah | SRERD | Approved projects under Res. 30/2022 (50 by H1 2026) [16] |
| Ras Al Khaimah | RAK Municipality Lands & Properties | Listed freehold areas on Municipality service card [8] |
Authority overview: which authority controls UAE land.
Land-only implications for buyers and brokers
- Compare like with like: Dubai “land sales” ≠ Abu Dhabi “residential land/buildings” ≠ Sharjah “industrial sales.”
- Prefer regulator PDFs / official newsrooms over aggregator charts when pitching a plot.
- Ask which ownership instrument applies: freehold, musataha, usufruct, or free-zone lease.
- For Dubai land tables from the press, re-check on DLD open data before putting numbers in a sales deck [13].
- List plots for free on list your land or post a buyer requirement.
Risks / what we removed from the old Q4 piece
An earlier version of this page gave price-per-square-foot GFA ranges and quarter-on-quarter growth rates for Business Bay, Dubai South, JVC and Al Marjan Island. We could not trace those numbers to a published source, so they remain removed. We will add land price benchmarks only when a regulator or a named research firm publishes them with a clear methodology.
FAQ
Why is there no finished Q4 2026 UAE land report yet?
This page was updated on 27 October 2026, before the fourth quarter ended. Regulators publish quarterly and yearly figures after the period closes. The honest label is “2026 so far,” not a completed Q4 report.
Why do Dubai land figures differ between sources?
Different releases count plots in different ways (sales only versus all land transactions; press summaries versus open-data filters). We give the source and period for each number [1][2][12][13].
Does this brief include land prices per square foot?
Only where an official or named research source publishes them. None of the primary sources used here gives a reliable emirate-wide plot price, so we have not included one.
Which emirate is “best” for land right now?
That depends on use (villa plot vs development land vs industrial lease), nationality eligibility, and hold period. This brief compares published figures, not investment recommendations.
Methodology and sources
Access date: 27 October 2026.
- Dubai Land Department 2025 annual figures (press release via Zawya) (Jan 2026). Secondary carrier of DLD figures. Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- Gulf Today — “7,981 plots of land sold in Dubai for Dhs125 billion over seven months” (DLD data) (4 Aug 2026). Secondary. Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- ADREC — 2025 real estate performance numbers. Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- ADREC — Abu Dhabi Real Estate Market Report 2025 (PDF). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- ADREC — H1 2026 transaction report. Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- WAM — ADREC H1 2026 market report (18 Aug 2026). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- AD Ports Group — Q4 2025 MDA (PDF). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- RAK Municipality — Lands and Properties Transactions Report 2024–2025 (PDF). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- WAM — Sharjah record AED 65.6 billion in 2025 (20 Jan 2026). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- Wynn Resorts — Wynn Al Marjan Island financing (6 Feb 2025). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- Abu Dhabi Media Office — ADREC AED 117bn H1 2026 (17 Jul 2026). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- Dubai Land Department — Q1 2026 transactions AED 252 billion (9 Apr 2026). Primary DLD newsroom (all-property, not land-only). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- Dubai Land Department — Real Estate Data (open data). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- Abu Dhabi Media Office — Musaffah Innovation District (1 Oct 2026). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
14a. ADREC — H1 2026 market report PDF. Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- WAM — Sharjah industrial real estate AED 9.24 billion in 2025 (24 Jan 2026). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
- WAM — Sharjah real estate transactions AED 29.5 billion in H1 (15 Jul 2026). Accessed 27 October 2026 (Asia/Calcutta).
Still missing for a true “Q4 2026” label: official Q3/Q4 2026 DLD land-only release, ADREC H2 2026 report, RAK Municipality 2026 annual PDF, SRERD H2 2026 release. Until those exist, keep the title as a year-to-date brief — not a Q4 report.
Last reviewed (draft): 27 October 2026.
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