45,000 Transactions in One Quarter: Dubai's Off-Plan Engine Is Running at Full Speed

CBRE's Q1 2026 UAE Market Review, published in May 2026, confirms 45,000+ residential transactions in Dubai worth AED 137 billion in the residential segment alone (part of the broader AED 252B total market). This is the highest Q1 residential transaction count ever recorded in Dubai.

The off-plan segment drove 67% of these transactions. This is not a speculative bubble — it is structural demand. Dubai's population grew by 100,000+ residents in 2025 and is projected to reach 5.8 million by 2040. The city's infrastructure investment (metro expansion, new airports, free zones) continues to attract international capital at scale.

For context: London recorded approximately 25,000 residential transactions in the same period. New York recorded approximately 18,000. Dubai — with a fraction of the population — recorded 45,000. The liquidity premium in Dubai real estate is real and measurable.

Sofiene's take: the 45,000 transaction figure is the single most important data point for investors who worry about exit risk. In a market this liquid, well-located properties in established districts sell within weeks of listing. The risk is not illiquidity — it is overpaying on entry.