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Dh2.5 billion housing package for UAE citizens in 2025

Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme issues 3,567 decisions totalling Dh2.5 billion

Last updated: November 28, 2025 | 16:54

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai

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Dubai: The UAE Cabinet, led by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has approved 3,567 housing-related decisions valued at a total of Dh2.54 billion during 2025. Of these, 599 decisions were issued in the fourth quarter, valued at Dh478 million.

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These approvals came through the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme, a cornerstone initiative focused on delivering sustainable and adequate housing solutions for Emirati citizens. The package for 2025 includes 524 grants from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, worth Dh356.3 million; 623 government housing loans at Dh270.2 million; 32 government housing grants and benefits totalling Dh25.4 million; and 2,388 housing financing decisions worth Dh1.89 billion.

During the final quarter of 2025, 599 housing decisions valued at Dh478 million were approved. These comprised two presidential grants worth Dh1.3 million; 31 government housing loans for Dh25.2 million; eight government housing grants and benefits totalling Dh6.4 million; and 558 housing financing decisions valued at Dh445.1 million.

The approval of these housing decisions reflects the UAE government’s commitment to enhancing family stability and improving citizens’ quality of life. It forms part of ongoing efforts to meet increasing housing needs amid rapid population growth and urban development. The Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme, established in 1999, continues to evolve adapting its strategies to meet national goals.

Driving forward Vision 2031

The accelerated delivery of housing decisions in 2025 demonstrates sustained momentum in the sector. Financing approvals represent a significant portion of assistance, reflecting enhanced collaboration between federal and local authorities and private sector partners.

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The government’s housing strategy aligns with the UAE’s Vision 2031 aiming for balanced urban growth, economic diversification, and social cohesion through strong housing infrastructure and support. These approvals stimulate related industries including real estate development, construction, and housing services.

The housing decisions awarded in 2025 also bolster broader economic objectives by promoting sustainable development and job creation. New urban projects and housing clusters across emirates foster inclusive growth.

Families and low-income groups benefit from targeted grants and loan schemes, contributing to a more equitable distribution of housing resources.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

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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