Image: Dubai Media Office/ For illustrative purposes
Dubai is poised to attract a major surge of international wealth in 2025, potentially reshaping its role in the global financial system, according to a new report by real estate brokerage Betterhomes.
Titled Dubai: No Longer a Pit Stop, But the Finish Line for Global Wealth, the report outlines how shifting global geopolitical and economic dynamics are fueling high-net-worth individual (HNWI) migration to the UAE. This, in turn, is transforming Dubai’s prime real estate landscape.
In 2024, 6,700 millionaires relocated to the UAE. With 142,000 millionaires expected to migrate globally in 2025, Betterhomes projects that if just five per cent choose Dubai, the emirate could gain around 7,100 new millionaires — bringing with them approximately $7.1bn (Dhs26bn) in capital. That figure would represent nearly half of Dubai’s total foreign direct investment in 2024.
HNWIs looking to “anchor” themselves in Dubai, UAE: Betterhomes CEO
“Dubai’s real estate market is no longer driven by speculation, but by strategic, long-term capital,” said Louis Harding, CEO of Betterhomes. “We are seeing global wealth not just arrive, but anchor itself here, in branded residences, legacy properties, and high-quality developments built for permanence.”
The report identifies key global “push” factors influencing millionaire migration, including increasing wealth taxes, political instability, and tightening immigration policies. These are contrasted with Dubai’s appeal as a tax-efficient, safe, and globally connected lifestyle hub.
Betterhomes suggests the evolution of Dubai’s property market into a “structural asset class,” with HNWI investment increasingly focused on long-term residential value rather than short-term market cycles.
As the emirate continues to draw the world’s wealthy, Dubai’s role as a global benchmark for residential investment is expected to grow.
Read: Real estate trends in 2025: Dubai developers share insights
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