Dubai’s property market is facing a critical supply mismatch as the number of completed units is unable to keep pace with the rising population, according to market experts.
Dubai’s population growth is outpacing the pace of new housing delivery. The city’s population grew 4.47 per cent year-on-year, reaching 4.03 million residents as of October 2025 - an average of roughly 470 new residents a day, according to Springfield Properties.
This demographic acceleration, driven by long-term visa reforms and strong inbound employment, translates into demand for nearly 150 new homes daily, said Farooq Syed, chief executive of Springfield Properties. Yet, only about 44,000 units are expected to be delivered in 2025. Most of the new supply consists of apartments, while family-orientated villas and town houses remain limited, he added.
While developers are launching projects at an unprecedented rate, a widening gap between announced launches and actual completions, coupled with a heavy focus on apartments, is signalling the possibility of an oversupply in the high-density sector and shrinking availability of villas and town houses, real estate agency Allsopp & Allsopp said in a new report.
In 2024, developers in Dubai launched 154,145 units, yet only 34,165 were completed, meaning 22 per cent of the total launched were delivered. In 2025, 152,402 units have been launched in the year-to-date and only 31,437 units completed so far, representing around 21 per cent of total launches, the data showed.
“An increase in apartment supply isn’t inherently negative, it’s actually essential to a balanced market,” said Lewis Allsopp, chairman of Allsopp & Allsopp. “Apartments cater to singles, couples, young families, first-time buyers and investors - the very buyers who need an accessible entry point into Dubai real estate.”
Fifty years ago, Dubai’s population was 175,000, so the new total of four million represents an increase of 2,185 per cent since 1975. The emirate’s population reached two million on December 24, 2011, meaning it has doubled in less than 15 years.
The city’s population has experienced its most noticeable growth since the coronavirus pandemic, with the emirate increasingly being considered a haven for global millionaires. Strong demand has come from the UK, India, Russia, South-east Asia and Africa.
The emirate is recording a surge in people from the UK, which is forecast to lose 16,500 millionaires this year. This is the largest net outflow of high-net-worth individuals by any country in the past 10 years.
The number of millionaires living in Dubai has doubled in the past decade, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing wealth centres, a report by New World Wealth for Henley & Partners found in April.
In 2024, Dubai had an estimated 81,200 millionaires, 237 centimillionaires – whose wealth is in the hundreds of millions – and 20 billionaires, according to the report. That compares to 72,500 millionaires, 212 centimillionaires and 15 billionaires in 2023.
Gap between launches and delivery
The gap between project launches and handovers has widened considerably in Dubai. In the first half of 2025, developers registered 90,337 new real estate units valued at Dh151 billion ($41.1 billion). Yet only 24 projects, worth Dh4.5 billion, were completed during the same period, Mr Syed said.
“This means that fewer than one in five newly registered units reached completion within that time frame. Market data further indicates that while more than 61,800 units are currently under construction for delivery in 2025, only 21 per cent of projects scheduled for the year have achieved 75 per cent or more construction progress – underscoring a widening delivery lag,” he said.
“Many large-scale developments have handover timelines extending into the latter half of the decade, with full completion for some masterplans expected beyond 2027.”
As of 2025, the construction pipeline includes 61,800 units scheduled for delivery this year and more than 100,000 units projected for 2026–2027, he added.
Focus on apartments
Developers are focusing on high-density apartment projects, which could tilt the market further towards saturation in the coming years. Of the 152,402 units launched in 2025 so far, 89 per cent were apartments, with just 11 per cent dedicated to villas and town houses, according to the Allsopp & Allsopp report.
Given that new launches are skewing so heavily towards apartments, the numbers suggest there is a risk of a continued shortage of villas and town houses, which are typically the best suited options to growing families and longer‑term residents, the research note said.
Currently, areas such as Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), Townsquare, Damac Hills, Arjan and Studio City have particularly high apartment supply, the report found.
“Developers are prioritising high-density projects that can be built and sold faster and offer lower entry points for investors. However, this has created a supply bias away from family-orientated housing,” Mr Syed said.
“The imbalance is reflected in values: villa prices in key communities have risen up to 11 per cent in 2025 and now sit 66 per cent above 2014 levels. Villas and town houses represent 33 per cent of rental transactions but generate 58 per cent of total rental value, demonstrating how scarcity in larger family homes is pushing rents and prices up faster than the broader market.”
He added that this imbalance has created a “two-tier market”: apartments absorb short-term population growth and investor activity, while villas and town houses increasingly serve a premium end-user segment that faces limited choice and higher entry prices.
Communities such as Dubai Hills Estate, Al Barari and Jumeirah Islands continue to experience elevated demand from families seeking larger homes, while areas like JVC and Arjan absorb the bulk of apartment sales activity, Mr Syed informed.
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
Structural%20weaknesses%20facing%20Israel%20economy
%3Cp%3E1.%20Labour%20productivity%20is%20lower%20than%20the%20average%20of%20the%20developed%20economies%2C%20particularly%20in%20the%20non-tradable%20industries.%3Cbr%3E2.%20The%20low%20level%20of%20basic%20skills%20among%20workers%20and%20the%20high%20level%20of%20inequality%20between%20those%20with%20various%20skills.%3Cbr%3E3.%20Low%20employment%20rates%2C%20particularly%20among%20Arab%20women%20and%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jewish%20men.%3Cbr%3E4.%20A%20lack%20of%20basic%20knowledge%20required%20for%20integration%20into%20the%20labour%20force%2C%20due%20to%20the%20lack%20of%20core%20curriculum%20studies%20in%20schools%20for%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jews.%3Cbr%3E5.%20A%20need%20to%20upgrade%20and%20expand%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20particularly%20mass%20transit%20infrastructure.%3Cbr%3E6.%20The%20poverty%20rate%20at%20more%20than%20double%20the%20OECD%20average.%3Cbr%3E7.%20Population%20growth%20of%20about%202%20per%20cent%20per%20year%2C%20compared%20to%200.6%20per%20cent%20OECD%20average%20posing%20challenge%20for%20fiscal%20policy%20and%20underpinning%20pressure%20on%20education%2C%20health%20care%2C%20welfare%20housing%20and%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20which%20will%20increase%20in%20the%20coming%20years.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
RACE CARD
4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m
5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
%3Cp%3ECreated%20by%3A%20Darren%20Star%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Lily%20Collins%2C%20Philippine%20Leroy-Beaulieu%2C%20Ashley%20Park%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202.75%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Mamia Al Reef, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
3.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner: Jaahiz, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner: Qanoon, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Philosopher, Tadhg O’Shea, Salem bin Ghadayer.
54.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yassoob, Fernando Jara, Irfan Ellahi.
