EconomyUnited Arab Emirates

UAE foreign trade nears Dh3 trillion in nine months; Abu Dhabi property deals jump 76%

The UAE's trade with other countries reached close to Dh3 trillion across January to September 2026, a 10% rise. Property deals in Abu Dhabi grew 76.1% over that stretch, to $46.63 billion.

Illustration: A container port seen from straight above, with rows of colorful containers, a large ship at the quay and cranes in a line.
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The United Arab Emirates recorded nearly 3 trillion dirhams (Dh3 trillion) in foreign trade between January and September 2026, a 10% gain. Mohammed bin Rashid, the ruler of Dubai, gave the figure and noted that it came despite challenges.

Abu Dhabi's property market expanded even faster. The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre said deal values were up 76.1% on a year earlier, at 171.26 billion dirhams ($46.63 billion), for the nine months ending in September 2026.

Abu Dhabi property deals

  • 202638,483 transactions
  • 202528,977 transactions

Figures from the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, number of transactions, first nine months.

The number of deals rose 32.8% to 38,483. In the same period last year there were 28,977. Stronger property sales and foreign investment drove the growth.

The same data showed that investment from abroad in the emirate's special investment zones jumped 131%.

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