Dubai Real GDP Drops 2.3 Percent in First Half 2026
Dubai reported a 2.3 percent decline in real GDP for the first half of 2026, though strategic sectors like health and finance showed significant growth.
Dubai's real Gross Domestic Product reached AED 473 billion ($129 billion) in the first half of 2026, a 2.3 percent decline from the same period in 2025. Despite this dip, GDP at current prices rose 0.2 percent to AED 505 billion. The performance was mixed, with the largest contributor, wholesale and retail trade, declining 6 percent in real terms.
Helal Saeed Almarri and other officials attributed the results to global economic volatility and regional uncertainty that disrupted trade, transport, and tourism. However, high-value strategic sectors experienced growth, led by human health and social work at 14.3 percent, financial and insurance activities at 8.8 percent, information and communication at 2.7 percent, and construction at 2.4 percent.
Government leaders linked this resilience to the diversity of the city's economic base and the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to double the economy's size by 2033. While the city faced headwinds, officials noted that investor appetite remains strong in sectors central to the future economy.
