What is known
- The Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department reported that Sharjah's real estate market attracted 9,891 new investors in the first nine months of 2026, and that buyers from 130 nationalities traded 46,125 properties in the same period.
- Of the 9,891 new investors, 4,526 were from foreign countries, 2,494 were from Arab countries, 2,453 were UAE nationals and 418 were from other GCC countries.
- The department said the total number of real estate projects approved for freehold ownership by non-citizens and foreign investors has reached 52 since the issuance of Executive Council Resolution No. (30) of 2022, and that Sharjah approved eight new high-quality projects by the end of September 2026.
- Abdul Aziz Ahmed Al Shamsi, Director General of the Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department, said the addition of nearly 10,000 investors from a broad range of nationalities reflected the strength of Sharjah's investment environment and confidence in its property market.
- The report gave cash trading-volume breakdowns for January to September 2026: investments by UAE citizens were valued at AED22.4 billion across 31,250 properties; investments by GCC citizens reached AED2.5 billion across 1,451 properties; investors from Arab countries generated AED7.8 billion across 6,692 properties; and citizens of other foreign nations reached AED14.1 billion across 6,732 properties.
- The report also named several nationality-level trading figures for January to September 2026: investors from India generated a trading volume exceeding AED6.8 billion and traded 2,914 properties; Syrian investors had trades close to AED2 billion and traded 1,738 properties; Pakistani investors recorded AED1.56 billion; Jordanian investors recorded AED1.21 billion; and Iraqi investors recorded AED1.17 billion.
First scenario
If the increase in the number of approved freehold projects for non-citizens (52 projects since Executive Council Resolution No. (30) of 2022) and the eight new projects approved by the end of September 2026 is associated with the inflow of new foreign investors, then the arrival of 4,526 foreign investors among the 9,891 newcomers could be an early sign that policy changes are enabling greater foreign ownership and participation; this scenario could be shown by further increases in the count of approved projects after September 2026 or by a rising share of properties traded by "citizens of other foreign nations" in subsequent official monthly or quarterly reports.