Dubai Achieves Top Global Ranking For Greenfield FDI Projects In H1 2025

Dubai has maintained its position as the top city globally for attracting Greenfield FDI projects for the eighth consecutive half-year period since H2 2021. According to the Financial Times Ltd’s ‘fDi Markets’ database, Dubai attracted 643 projects in H1 2025, surpassing the second-ranked city by 478 projects. This achievement marks the highest number of Greenfield FDI projects recorded in a single half-year period since data tracking began in 2003.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, highlighted that this success reflects Dubai's forward-thinking development vision. He noted that Dubai's economy inspires global investor confidence by embracing emerging technological trends and sustainable sectors. "The strength and resilience of Dubai’s economy continues to inspire confidence among global investors in its ability to reimagine the future and unlock emerging global technological trends and sustainable sectors," he said.

Dubai's strategic location and robust investment ecosystem have solidified its reputation as a prime destination for investors. The city advanced to second place globally for total Greenfield FDI capital in H1 2025, up from fourth place in H1 2024. It also rose to third place globally for jobs created through inward FDI, maintaining its lead as the top city in the Middle East across both metrics.

The city's appeal extends to multinational firms seeking headquarters locations, with Dubai ranking first globally for HQ FDI projects. The number of such projects increased by 60%, from 20 in H1 2024 to 32 in H1 2025. This growth underscores Dubai's strong corporate ecosystem and its attractiveness as a platform for regional and global expansion.

Dubai leads globally across various industry clusters, including ICT, electronics, creative industries, professional services, life sciences, consumer goods, financial services, industrial equipment, transportation and warehousing, and environmental technology. The city's focus on future-oriented sectors like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Financial Technology (FinTech) further enhances its appeal to forward-thinking investors.

The emirate attracted AED40.4 billion ($11 billion) in estimated FDI capital during H1 2025, marking a significant increase of 62% compared to AED24.7 billion ($6.8 billion) in H1 2024. The total number of announced FDI projects rose by 28.7%, from 847 in H1 2024 to 1,090 in H1 2025.

Sectoral Gains Reflect Investor Confidence

Greenfield projects accounted for over half of total inflows at 52.4%, with new forms of investment contributing another 36.1%. Reinvestments made up 4%, venture capital-backed projects accounted for 4.3%, while mergers and acquisitions comprised 3.2%. These figures highlight sectoral gains across business services, consumer products, food and beverages, software and IT services, financial services, real estate, tourism and transport-linked activities.

Business functions saw diverse contributions: business services led with a share of capital inflows at 31.3%, followed by construction at 28.6%, retail at 10.7%, logistics at 7.8%, and manufacturing at 7.5%. Retail functions dominated project announcements with a share of 36.6%.

Global Confidence in Dubai's Business Climate

The top five source countries contributed significantly to Dubai’s FDI capital flows in H1 2025: the United States led with a share of 35%, followed by the United Kingdom (10.6%), France (8.9%), India (8.9%), and Saudi Arabia (5.2%). For announced FDI projects, these countries accounted for over half of the total.

The leading sectors based on FDI capital were business services (30.6%), hotels and tourism (21.3%), transportation and warehousing (7.2%), consumer products (6.6%), and real estate (6.3%). The top sectors by project numbers included business services (19%) and consumer products (16.5%).

Helal Saeed Almarri from DET stated that Dubai's consistent leadership in attracting FDI is due to strategic visioning by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: "This performance showcases the city’s resilience...strengthened by enduring public-private partnerships." He emphasised that Dubai remains focused on creating an empowering ecosystem under the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.

The diversity of investments reflects confidence in Dubai's ability to support varied operational needs—from headquarters setups to logistics bases—reinforcing its resilience within the global economy.

Hadi Badri from DEDC noted that this progress highlights long-term collaboration between government and businesses: "Our success...reinforces Dubai’s role as a global hub for decision-making." He added that investments especially in AI and FinTech show alignment with future economic shifts.

With inputs from WAM