TL;DR
- International Property Show 2026 (7-9 September, Dubai World Trade Centre, Halls 4-8, 22nd edition) markets a projection of more than 40,000 visitors from 182 nationalities and 153 countries, while the audited 2025 baseline was about 30,720 visitors from 174 countries with over 300 exhibitors.
- Dubai's own market closed 2025 with transactions worth AED 917 billion (USD 249.7 billion), up 20% year on year, across more than 270,000 deals.
- The Real Estate Sector Strategy 2033 targets a 70% rise in transaction value to AED 1 trillion, and foreign investors already account for over 40% of residential ownership.
A trade show is the best place to separate the marketing number from the audited number. Both kinds of figure circle IPS 2026, and the gap between them says more than either one alone. The 22nd edition runs in strategic partnership with the Dubai Land Department, so the market backdrop matters as much as the turnstile count.
Dubai's 2025 market, audited
- 917bn AEDTotal 2025 transaction value, about USD 249.7 billion, up 20% year on year.Dubai Media Office
- 270,000+Sales transactions recorded in 2025, inside 3.11 million property procedures in all.Dubai Media Office
- 30,720Visitors at IPS 2025, from 174 countries. This is the audited baseline.The organiser projects 40,000+ for 2026. That figure is promotional, not audited.Dubai Land Department
- 40%Share of Dubai residential ownership held by foreign investors, drawn from 200+ nationalities.Dubai Tax and Property
A good delegate reads both the marketing number and the audited number, and never confuses the two.
The show in numbers: projection & audit
The organiser promotes the edition with one headline number that deserves careful reading. It is a marketing projection, not an audited result:
- more than 40,000 visitors (the organiser's promotional projection)
- 182 nationalities
- 153 countries
- an exhibition footprint 38% larger, on early indicators
The audited baseline from the 21st edition (April 2025), as reported by the Dubai Land Department, is more modest:
- 30,720 visitors
- 174 countries
- over 300 exhibitors
- deals and contracts worth more than AED 1.84 billion (about USD 500 million)
The gap is instructive. The 2026 promotion repeats a framing of 182 nationalities and 153 countries, while the 2025 audit counted 174 countries. Both figures are real, but they measure different things.
Dubai's real estate sector delivered strong results in 2025, reflecting a more mature and sustainable market.
Omar Hamad Bu Shehab, Director General, Dubai Land Department
Dubai's market in numbers
The macro context is stronger than any show statistic. Dubai's market hit a record in 2025, on Dubai Land Department data quoted by the Dubai Media Office:
- AED 917 billion (USD 249.7 billion) in total transaction value, up 20% year on year
- more than 270,000 sales transactions
- 3.11 million real estate procedures in all, covering sales, leases and services, up 7%
- real estate investment above AED 680 billion across 258,600 deals, up 29% in value and 20% in volume
Who is buying
The investor base is widening and internationalising:
- around 193,100 investors, up 24%
- 129,600 new investors, up 23%
- resident investors at 56.6% of the total
- women invested AED 154 billion across 76,700 deals, up 31% in value
- buyers came from more than 200 nationalities, and foreign investors account for over 40% of residential ownership
The 2033 target
All of these numbers are set against a single goal. The Real Estate Sector Strategy 2033 aims to lift transaction value by 70% to AED 1 trillion, and it sits inside the D33 economic agenda, which intends to double Dubai's economy. For the European industry arriving at IPS 2026, the right question is not whether the numbers are big. It is which numbers to trust: the government's audited results, or the organiser's promotional projections. A good delegate reads both, and keeps them apart.