Abu Dhabi Approves 75 Million Sqm of New Development in 2025 to Support Housing and Tourism Growth

Friday, 13 March 2026

Authorities in Abu Dhabi have approved nearly 75 million square metres of new development in 2025, highlighting the emirate’s expanding real estate, tourism, and infrastructure pipeline. The approvals, issued by the Department of Municipalities and Transport, demonstrate strong investor confidence and support the emirate’s long-term strategy for sustainable urban growth and economic diversification.

Key Highlights

The Department of Municipalities and Transport approved around 75 million square metres of development in 2025, reflecting rapid expansion across key sectors.
The approved development volume represents a 137% increase compared with the previous year, highlighting growing investment momentum in Abu Dhabi.
A major portion of the approvals focuses on residential development, with plans for approximately 190,000 new housing units across the emirate.
Of these, about 158,000 units will be market residential homes, while around 30,000 homes will be dedicated to UAE nationals, supporting inclusive community development.
The residential plans also include supporting infrastructure such as schools, healthcare facilities, retail outlets, and community amenities, creating well-integrated neighbourhoods.
The scale of approved projects is comparable to developing the capacity of Yas Island seven times, highlighting the significant growth pipeline.
Tourism and hospitality projects were also approved, including developments that will deliver nearly 5,000 additional hotel rooms across multiple destinations in the emirate.
Several projects will include waterfront attractions, beaches, and cultural developments, further enhancing Abu Dhabi’s appeal as a global tourism destination.
Approvals also covered industrial facilities, data centres, and advanced manufacturing projects, supporting the emirate’s technology, logistics, and digital economy sectors.
Authorities have streamlined approval procedures to support faster development, including reducing the evaluation period for master developers by 60 days.
The introduction of the Binaa Platform has significantly improved efficiency in the approval process.
Since the platform’s launch in 2025, the time required to issue residential villa permits has decreased by 57%, while resubmission rates have also reduced significantly.
More than 11,000 building permits were issued during 2025, representing a 15% increase year-on-year.
Authorities also organised training workshops for over 7,000 consultants and contractors to support the transition to digital approval systems.
Officials plan to continue expanding AI-enabled digital systems to further streamline planning approvals and support the emirate’s long-term development goals.