Dubai Has 96,585 Homes Due in 2026 and 83% Are Already Sold, Villas at 95%

Published: 2026-08-21

Of the 96,585 homes scheduled for handover in Dubai in 2026, 80,127 units, or 82.9%, have already been sold, according to an analysis by fäm Properties based on DXBinteract and Dubai Land Department data, reported by Gulf News on 2026-08-21. Villas are almost gone: 95% of the 5,376 villas due this year have found buyers, against 82% of the 91,209 apartments. Across the entire construction pipeline of 564,072 residential units, most of them due by 2028, 425,863 homes (75.5%) are sold. Several communities, including Al Wasl, Wadi Al Safa 5 and Nad Al Sheba First, have reached 100% absorption for their 2026 deliveries, while Downtown Dubai stands at 96.6% and Palm Jumeirah at 93.5%. For businesses and investors, the numbers mean one thing: the Dubai property market is being bought years before completion, and the supply wave of 2026 to 2028 is largely spoken for.

What the fäm Properties analysis shows

The analysis, built on DXBinteract data that in turn draws on official Dubai Land Department records, measures the absorption rate: the share of homes under construction that have already been sold. For the 2026 delivery cohort, the headline figure is 82.9%, or 80,127 of 96,585 homes. The split by property type is telling. Apartments, which account for 91,209 of the 2026 units, are 82% sold. Villas, just 5,376 units in the 2026 pipeline, are 95% sold, which in practice means the villa market for this year is effectively closed to new buyers unless they turn to resales.

The picture holds across the wider pipeline. Dubai currently has 564,072 residential properties under construction, with most scheduled for handover by 2028. Of those, 425,863 homes, or 75.5%, are already sold. The villa segment leads again: 58,349 of the 68,297 villas under construction have been sold, an absorption rate of 85.4%. Apartments make up the bulk of the pipeline with 495,775 units, of which 367,514 (74.1%) have buyers.

Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fäm Properties, put it plainly: investors commit to buying properties before completion because they have confidence in Dubai, its transparent regulatory framework and the consistent quality delivered by developers. He also pointed to the fundamentals behind demand: Dubai’s population has surpassed 4.58 million, and the city is now home to more than 80,000 millionaires.

Absorption by area: where 2026 homes are sold out

DXBinteract data shows several areas have already sold every home scheduled for delivery this year. Al Wasl has a 100% absorption rate for its 637 apartments due in 2026. Three villa communities have reached full absorption for 2026 handovers: Wadi Al Safa 5 with 854 villas, Nad Al Sheba First with 235 and Al Hebiah Sixth with 476. Among the large apartment districts, Palm Jumeirah has sold 93.5% of the 2,397 apartments due this year and Jumeirah Lakes Towers 92.8% of its 2,324 units.

Source: fäm Properties and DXBinteract on Dubai Land Department data, as reported by Gulf News, 2026-08-21.

Downtown Dubai and Business Bay: the big apartment markets

The two flagship apartment districts show how deep demand runs even at scale. Downtown Dubai has 6,248 apartments under construction, 92.2% of them sold. Among the 3,981 apartments due for handover there in 2026, absorption rises to 96.6%. Business Bay, the commercial heart of the city next to Downtown, has a far larger pipeline of 30,317 apartments under construction, of which 82.8% are sold, and the rate reaches 88.7% among the 16,938 apartments due for delivery this year.

Other apartment areas with high absorption across homes still under construction include Ras Al Khor, where 93.5% of 6,950 units have been sold, and Al Barsha South 2, where the rate stands at 85% across 12,655 apartments.

Villa communities above 94%

Villa demand is the strongest signal in the report. Across homes still under construction, Al Hebiah Fifth has sold 98.7% of 2,060 villas, Nad Al Sheba First 98.2% of 1,569 units, Wadi Al Safa 5 96.4% of 8,216 villas, Al Yufrah 94.7% of 6,429 and Dubai South 94.5% of 5,698. With villas representing only about 12% of the construction pipeline (68,297 of 564,072 units) and selling faster than apartments, the segment is structurally undersupplied relative to the demand of families relocating to Dubai.

Supply is rising at the same time

The high absorption comes alongside a sharp rise in completed supply. Dubai Land Department data showed that 24,537 new real estate units were completed in the first half of 2026, up more than 36% from 18,043 in the same period of 2025. A total of 104 projects were completed in the six months, compared with 75 a year earlier, an increase of 38.7%, and their combined investment value exceeded AED 111 billion, up 52% from AED 73 billion. Completed and ready-for-handover built-up area grew 23.4% to 1.95 million square metres, while the value of land allocated to projects rose 135% to AED 19.46 billion from AED 8.27 billion. We covered those completion figures in detail in our article on Dubai’s 24,537 property units completed in H1 2026.

In other words, supply is growing fast, yet buyers are absorbing it faster. That is the combination that keeps prices firm and keeps developers launching new phases.

What this means for investors and businesses

• Off-plan is the main entry point. With 75.5% of the entire pipeline pre-sold, a buyer who waits for completion will compete for the remaining quarter of units or pay a premium in the secondary market.
• Villas require early commitment. At 85.4% pipeline absorption and 95% for 2026 deliveries, villa buyers realistically need to book at launch or accept resale pricing.
• Location data is public and granular. DXBinteract and Dubai Land Department figures allow area-by-area due diligence, which reduces the information gap that foreign buyers usually face.
• Business relocation follows housing. A population above 4.58 million and more than 80,000 resident millionaires sustain demand for offices, services and retail, not only homes.
• Structure matters. Many investors hold Dubai property through a UAE company, combine the purchase with a residence visa or open a local bank account to manage rental income in AED.

How Atlant Capital can help

Atlant Capital supports foreign investors and entrepreneurs who enter the UAE market. If you plan to buy Dubai property through a corporate structure, we handle company setup in a free zone or on the mainland, including the choice of jurisdiction that allows property ownership. We also arrange UAE bank account opening for individuals and companies, so rental income, developer payments and service charges run through a local account in AED. Residence visas for owners and their families, accounting set-up and ongoing compliance are part of the same workflow.

Conclusion

Dubai’s 2026 delivery pipeline of 96,585 homes is 82.9% sold, villas are 95% sold, and three quarters of the 564,072 units under construction already have owners. Al Wasl, Wadi Al Safa 5, Nad Al Sheba First and Al Hebiah Sixth are fully absorbed for 2026, Downtown Dubai is at 96.6% and Palm Jumeirah at 93.5%. With completions up 36% in H1 2026 and still being outpaced by demand, the message for investors is to decide early, verify area-level data and put the right legal and banking structure in place before the purchase.

FAQ

How many homes are being delivered in Dubai in 2026 and how many are sold?

According to fäm Properties and DXBinteract data based on Dubai Land Department records, 96,585 homes are due for handover in Dubai in 2026, and 80,127 of them (82.9%) were already sold as of August 2026. The total includes 91,209 apartments (82% sold) and 5,376 villas (95% sold).

What share of Dubai’s homes under construction is already sold?

Dubai has 564,072 residential units under construction, most due by 2028, and 425,863 of them (75.5%) are sold. Villas show 85.4% absorption (58,349 of 68,297) and apartments 74.1% (367,514 of 495,775).

Which Dubai areas have sold out their 2026 deliveries?

Al Wasl (637 apartments), Wadi Al Safa 5 (854 villas), Nad Al Sheba First (235 villas) and Al Hebiah Sixth (476 villas) have 100% absorption for 2026 handovers. Downtown Dubai is at 96.6% of 3,981 units, Palm Jumeirah at 93.5% of 2,397, Jumeirah Lakes Towers at 92.8% of 2,324 and Business Bay at 88.7% of 16,938.

Can a foreign company buy property in Dubai?

Yes. Foreign individuals and companies registered in the UAE can own freehold property in designated areas of Dubai. Many investors buy through a UAE free zone or mainland company and open a local bank account to receive rent in AED. Atlant Capital sets up the company, the bank account and the residence visas as one process.