ADXinteract: Abu Dhabi Residential Sales Surge to $23 Billion in H1 2026

ABU DHABI, UAE – Abu Dhabi's residential real estate market is on course for a record-breaking year after apartment and villa sales recorded significant growth during the first half of 2026, according to the latest market analysis by ADXinteract.

The report found that the combined value of residential sales increased by 173.9% year-on-year to $23 billion (AED84.49 billion), while transaction volumes rose 103% to 16,585 deals compared with the first six months of 2025.

The figures build on several years of sustained market expansion. Annual residential sales volumes increased from 7,242 transactions in 2021 to 9,053 in 2022, 15,013 in 2023, 16,244 in 2024, before reaching 24,942 transactions with a total value of $25 billion (AED91.9 billion) in 2025.

Off-Plan Market Continues to Lead Activity

According to ADXinteract, off-plan properties accounted for 78% of all residential sales during the first half of 2026, underlining continued buyer confidence in the emirate's development pipeline.

Median apartment prices reached AED1,927 per square foot, while villa prices averaged AED1,500 per square foot, representing year-on-year increases of 22.5% and 41%, respectively.

The report identified Al Reem Island, Al Hudayriyat, Yas Island and Al Saadiyat Island as the primary drivers of market activity.

Together, developments across these four destinations accounted for 11,137 transactions, representing 67.15% of all residential sales, with a combined transaction value of $14.9 billion (AED54.8 billion), equivalent to 64.86% of the market's total sales value.

ADXinteract also reported an average project absorption rate of 51% across 286 developments currently under construction, comprising 98,823 residential units.

Commenting on the latest market performance, Fateh Al Msaddi, Founder of ADXinteract, said:

“The Abu Dhabi market has moved from quiet strength to strong, visible momentum. The sharp rise that we’ve seen in sales value and the growth in transactions show that the capital is entering a new phase, one driven by real buyer demand, major project activity, and increasing market transparency.”

Expanding Market Intelligence

ADXinteract, recently launched as the Abu Dhabi counterpart to DXBinteract, was developed to provide comprehensive market intelligence for the capital's real estate sector.

Beyond transaction tracking, the platform provides insights into the emirate's brokerage, agency and development landscape.

According to the report, Abu Dhabi is currently home to 1,124 real estate agencies and 3,699 brokers, of whom 3,378 are employed by registered agencies and 321 operate independently under self-issued licences.

The platform also tracks 140 active developers, including 38 primary developers holding project registrations and 102 secondary developers delivering projects within larger master developments.

Leading Residential Markets

By transaction volume, Al Reem Island led Abu Dhabi's residential market during the first half of 2026 with 4,545 sales, followed by Yas Island (3,031), Al Hudayriyat (2,190), Al Saadiyat Island (1,371) and Khalifa City (704).

By transaction value, Al Hudayriyat ranked first with $5.2 billion (AED18.95 billion) in sales, followed by Al Reem Island ($3.9 billion / AED14.17 billion), Al Saadiyat Island ($3.6 billion / AED13.18 billion), Yas Island ($2.3 billion / AED8.50 billion) and Ramhan Island ($790 million / AED2.90 billion).

The latest figures suggest Abu Dhabi's residential market continues to benefit from robust buyer demand, sustained off-plan activity and a growing pipeline of large-scale developments, positioning the emirate for its strongest year on record.