Sharjah real estate hits Dh18.5 billion in Q1 with 113 nationalities investing

Transactions surge in Q1 as global buyers expand presence across market

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Sharjah skyline
Sharjah skyline
Afi Ahmed

Dubai: Sharjah’s real estate market recorded transactions worth Dh18.5 billion in the first quarter of 2026, up 40.7% from a year earlier, with investors from 113 nationalities active across the emirate.

The data, released by the Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department, points to sustained demand across residential and investment segments, supported by stable pricing, higher rental yields and broader access to financing.

Total transactions reached 29,235 during the quarter, an increase of 18.9% compared to the same period last year, reflecting continued activity across ownership, sales and mortgage deals.

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Sales drive market activity

Sales transactions stood out, rising 22.8% year on year to 9,978 deals. The total value of these transactions reached Dh14.3 billion, spread across 172 areas and covering more than 53.5 million square feet.

Residential properties led activity, accounting for 78% of total sales with 7,781 transactions. Industrial, commercial and agricultural assets made up the rest, pointing to a market that remains anchored in housing demand while retaining diversification across sectors.

Al-Belaida recorded the highest number of sales transactions at 1,497, followed by Muwaileh Commercial with 1,246 deals and Al Khan with 711 transactions, indicating continued activity across established and emerging districts.

Broader investor base

Investor diversity continued to expand, with buyers from 113 nationalities participating in the market, up from 97 a year earlier. A total of 15,926 properties were traded by investors of different nationalities during the quarter, compared to 11,852 in the same period last year.

UAE nationals accounted for the largest share of investment at around Dh9 billion across 10,099 properties. Arab investors followed with Dh3.4 billion, while investors from other nationalities contributed Dh5.3 billion. GCC nationals accounted for Dh0.8 billion.

The figures point to growing international interest alongside strong domestic participation, supporting overall market depth.

“The emirate’s real estate sector continues its accelerated growth despite current conditions, supported by investor confidence and a adaptive legislative environment," said Abdulaziz Ahmed Al-Shamsi, Director General of the Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department. "This reflects the success of strategic plans and enhances the market’s attractiveness for long-term investments.”

He added, “Digital transformation and smart services have contributed to accelerating procedures and improving transaction efficiency, which has positively impacted customer experience and strengthened Sharjah’s position as one of the leading real estate markets in the UAE and the region.”

Seven new real estate projects were registered during the quarter across residential, industrial and commercial segments, while three additional projects were approved for ownership by non-UAE and GCC nationals, bringing the total number of such projects to 47.

Mortgage activity also remained steady, with 1,045 transactions recorded at a total value of Dh4.1 billion, alongside continued activity in title deeds, ownership certificates and initial sales contracts.

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.

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