Dubai - Dubai secured the top global spot for greenfield foreign direct investment projects in the first half of 2025, with 643 new ventures, extending its lead for an eighth straight half-year, a new ranking showed. 

The emirate drew the highest half-year tally since records began in 2003, according to Financial Times’ fDi Markets data cited by the Emirates News Agency, or WAM. That was nearly 500 more than the second-ranked city. 

This inflow of investment reflects confidence in the emirate’s long-term economic plans, including the Dubai Economic Agenda, which targets doubling its economy by 2033. 

This follows broader regional trends, with Saudi Arabia and Qatar posting notable gains. The Kingdom’s FDI inflows rose 24 percent to SR119 billion ($31.7 billion) in 2024, while Qatar attracted $2.74 billion through 241 projects, creating 9,348 jobs last year. 

Crown Prince of Dubai, Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, attributed this achievement to the city’s futuristic development vision. “The strength and resilience of Dubai’s economy continues to inspire confidence among global investors in its ability to reimagine the future and unlock emerging global technological trends and sustainable sectors,” he said, as reported by WAM. 

Al-Maktoum linked the success to the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which aims to double the size of Dubai’s economy by 2033. 

Key highlights from the first half of 2025 showed that Dubai advanced to second place worldwide for total FDI capital, a jump from its fourth-place position in the first half of 2024. 

The city also climbed to third place globally for jobs created by FDI. 

The city ranked first globally in several growth sectors, including technology — with strengths in artificial intelligence and fintech — along with creative industries, life sciences, and financial services. 

This was accompanied by growth across the board, with FDI capital rising 62 percent to 40.4 billion dirhams ($11 billion), projects increasing 28.7 percent to 1,090, and new jobs up 46.7 percent to more than 38,400. 

Investment covered sectors such as business services, construction, retail, and logistics, with the US as the largest source of capital, followed by the UK, France, and India. 

Helal Saeed Al-Marri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, said the results reflect the city’s “resilience, agility and capacity to keep pace with global economic transformations.” 

He added: “It is also a reflection of the trust that international investors, multinational corporations and start-ups continue to place in Dubai.”