DUBAI: The UAE retained its top spot as the most appealing country for Gulf residents to invest in property, while Dubai was named the most preferred city, according to new research.
About 45 percent of GCC home buyers and real estate investors, up from 42 percent in 2016, chose the UAE when asked which country they were comfortable in investing, according to the Real Estate Barometer study, made in partnership between YouGov and Cityscape Global.
Almost two-thirds also chose the UAE when asked which Middle East country the would chose to invest in.
Collectively, 69 percent of respondents chose Dubai as the ‘go to’ city for real estate investment, with 66 percent expecting the impact of Expo 2020 to increase property buyer interest in the Emirates.
The average budget for the GCC property investors was pegged at $717,000 (SR2.68 million), which was much higher than the average global budget of $561,000. The most sought-residential properties meanwhile were two- to three-bedroom apartments.
“We have seen a change of investor mind-set when it comes to the size of property sought after, shifting from one-bedroom and studio apartments in 2016 to a majority (54 percent) seeking two-to-three bedroom apartments shown by this year’s results,” Tom Rhodes, Exhibition Director, Cityscape Global, said in a statement.
“This could signal a vote of confidence from investors and homebuyers as reports point to a rejuvenation in the real estate sector.”
Kailash Nagdev, Managing Director for YouGov in the Middle East region said: “The 2017 study indicates a minor decline in sales and rental property prices in the UAE but overall real estate investment sentiment for the UAE looks positive.”
“The annual Real Estate Barometer is designed to track Middle East property market sentiment to help the industry expand with its future investors in mind.”
Cityscape Global, the region’s biggest property exhibition, opens this week in Dubai and for the first time has allowed developers undertake onsite sales to interested buyers.
UAE remains most appealing country for Gulf property investors
UAE remains most appealing country for Gulf property investors
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Oman’s trade surplus narrows to $12bn as exports decline
RIYADH: Oman’s trade surplus narrowed to 4.69 billion rials ($11.9 billion) by the end of October as weaker oil and gas shipments weighed on exports, even as imports rose, according to official data.
The surplus compares with 7.31 billion rials in the same period of 2024, the Oman News Agency reported, citing preliminary figures from the National Centre for Statistics and Information. Total merchandise exports fell 8 percent year on year to 19.3 billion rials, while imports increased 6.8 percent to 14.6 billion rials.
This comes as Fitch Ratings last month upgraded Oman to investment-grade status, raising its long-term foreign-currency rating from BB+ to BBB-, citing stronger public finances, an improved external position, and a continued commitment to prudent fiscal management.
The agency noted that Oman has successfully strengthened fiscal discipline, reducing government debt to around 36 percent of gross domestic product in 2025, down from about 68 percent in 2020.
“The decline in the value of Oman’s merchandise exports is primarily attributed to a decrease in the value of oil and gas exports, which reached 12.1 billion rials by the end of October 2025, a 16.3 percent decrease compared to 14.4 billion rials at the end of October 2024,” the ONA report stated.
It added: “Conversely, the value of Oman’s non-oil merchandise exports increased by 9.9 percent, reaching 5.61 billion rials by the end of October 2025, compared to 5.1 billion rials during the same period in 2024.”
The value of re-exports also increased, reaching 1.6 billion rials by the end of October, up 11.6 percent year on year.
The UAE was the leading destination for Oman’s non-oil exports, with shipments valued at 1.07 billion rials, marking a 27.6 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The UAE also topped the list for re-exports, at 532 million rials, and for exports to Oman, at 3.49 billion rials.
Saudi Arabia ranked second among destinations for Oman’s non-oil exports, with a value of 920 million rials, followed by India at 597 million rials.
In re-exports, Iran ranked second with 324 million rials, followed by the UK with 179 million rials.
On the import side, China ranked second, with imports valued at 1.55 billion rials, followed by Kuwait at 1.25 billion rials.
