Office boom in Dubai: transaction volume jumped to AED 13.1 billion, setting an 11-year high

The emirate's business sector is demonstrating phenomenal resilience: by the end of 2025, office space sales had doubled, reaching their highest levels since the golden period of 2014.

Dubai's commercial real estate market has entered a phase of ‘exceptional growth.’ According to a recent report by consulting agency Cavendish Maxwell, the total value of office space sold over the past year reached 13.1 billion dirhams (approximately 3.57 billion US dollars). This result not only exceeds the 2024 figures by more than two times, but also marks the sector's best annual performance in the last eleven years.

Shortage of ready-built space and the rise of off-plan

The main catalyst for this surge was the acute shortage of ready-built Class A properties. With supply limited, investors and end users switched en masse to the off-plan segment. Sales in this category showed almost 700% growth compared to the previous period.

While in 2024, offices under construction accounted for only 10% of transactions, by the beginning of 2026, this figure had risen to 35%. Ready-built offices, in turn, also rose in price: the average transaction value increased from 2.1 million to 2.7 million dirhams.

Key locations and drivers

• Business Bay retains its status as the absolute leader in terms of transaction volume in the ready-built property segment.
• Motor City unexpectedly surged ahead, becoming the most popular location for purchasing offices under construction.
• Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) continues to enjoy stable demand among medium-sized businesses.

Experts attribute this excitement to the continuing influx of international capital and the relocation of large corporations. Against the backdrop of global uncertainty, Dubai has confirmed its status as a ‘safe haven’ by offering businesses modern infrastructure and transparent ownership conditions. The total office space in the emirate currently stands at around 9.4 million square metres, but the pace of new space coming on stream continues to lag behind growing market demand, setting the stage for further price increases in 2026.