Dubai Diligence Research
Most Homes Sold in Dubai Are Now Bought Before They Are Built
By Dubai Diligence · Updated August 2026
In most of the world, uncertainty makes money cautious. People wait, they hold cash, they buy what they can see and touch. In Dubai the opposite is happening: more buyers than ever are putting money into homes that are still a plot and a plan, betting not on what a building is today but on what the city will be tomorrow.
That bet has never been more popular, and the official record shows it plainly. An analysis of Dubai Land Department transactions, the emirate's official register of every property sale, reveals a steady five-year shift in how the city buys its homes.
Share of Home Sales Bought Off-Plan
Dubai · 2021 to 2026
Source: Dubai Land Department, Open Data (CC BY 4.0). Analysis: Dubai Diligence. *2026 is year to date.
68.6%
of Dubai home sales in 2026 were off-plan, a record, up from 39.4% in 2021
214,637
registered home sales in 2025, worth AED 681bn
786,979
registered sales analysed, 2021 to 2026
A Rising Line, Five Years Running
The off-plan share of sales has climbed every single year since 2021, from 39.4% to 62.6% in 2025, and further still in 2026. It passed the halfway mark in 2023, and has not looked back. This is not a single hot quarter or one headline tower. It is a steady, multi-year shift in how the city buys property, and it has happened while the wider region has faced real uncertainty.
It would be easy to read a number like that as speculation. The fuller picture looks more like conviction. The off-plan boom has grown alongside a market breaking its own records: the total value of registered sales rose from AED 148bn in 2021 to AED 681bn in 2025, across more than 214,637 sales in a single year. Buyers are not just more active, they are committing earlier, further ahead of completion, and in greater numbers.
A Vote of Confidence in Where Dubai Is Headed
Buying off-plan is, at heart, a long bet on the city. You are trusting that the home will be delivered, that the district around it will mature, and that Dubai will keep drawing people and investment for years to come. A record share of the market making that bet is a clear signal of confidence in the direction set by the emirate's leadership and the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which channels growth into new and expanding communities across the city. When most buyers are willing to back the version of Dubai that is still under construction, it says a great deal about how they see its future.
The Full Data
| Year | Registered sales | Off-plan share | Total value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59,485 | 39.4% | AED 148bn |
| 2022 | 95,670 | 44.4% | AED 263bn |
| 2023 | 132,056 | 51.3% | AED 408bn |
| 2024 | 179,362 | 60.2% | AED 519bn |
| 2025 | 214,637 | 62.6% | AED 681bn |
| 2026 (to date) | 105,769 | 68.6% | AED 334bn |
How This Was Calculated
Every figure on this page is computed directly from Dubai Land Department transaction records, the official register of property sales in Dubai. We count registered sale transactions with a recorded value, and take the off-plan share as the proportion of those registered under the initial (pre-completion) sale type rather than a resale of a completed unit. Values are the sum of registered sale amounts. Figures update automatically as new records are published, so the numbers here always reflect the latest available data. The most recent year is partial and shown as year to date.
Source: Dubai Land Department, published as Dubai Open Data under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (CC BY 4.0). Analysis by Dubai Diligence.
Common Questions
- What does off-plan mean in Dubai?
- Off-plan property is a home bought from the developer before it is completed, based on the approved plans and specifications. Buyers usually pay in instalments across the construction period rather than all at once.
- What share of Dubai home sales are off-plan?
- In 2026 to date, about 68.6% of registered home sales in Dubai were off-plan, a record. The share has risen every year since 2021, when it was 39.4%.
- Is buying off-plan a good idea in Dubai?
- Off-plan can mean lower entry prices and staged payment plans, but it carries completion and delivery risk. Dubai Diligence does not give investment advice; we publish the official data and each developer's delivery record so you can judge for yourself.
- Where does this off-plan data come from?
- Every figure is computed from Dubai Land Department transaction records, the official register of every property sale in Dubai, published as open data under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
Cite this research
Dubai Diligence, “Most Homes Sold in Dubai Are Now Bought Before They Are Built,” analysis of Dubai Land Department data, 2026.
https://dubaidiligence.com/research/dubai-off-plan
Journalists and researchers are welcome to reproduce these figures and the chart with attribution to Dubai Diligence. For the underlying breakdowns, a high-resolution chart, or comment, contact steven@dubaidiligence.com.
See the same official data broken down by area, or by developer.
Dubai Diligence provides information for general informational purposes only and does not provide financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Figures are derived from official and cited sources and are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind; errors and omissions are possible, and data may lag the underlying registries. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell, or rent any property. Verify independently before making any decision. Believe something is inaccurate? Report it and we will review and correct promptly. See our Terms of Service.