How many off-plan projects launched in Dubai in 2026?
As of the 5 August 2026 snapshot of the Dubai Land Department's open project register, 359 projects were registered for the 2026 year, comprising 79,806 units with a combined declared value of AED 103.0 billion. That is the number filed with the regulator, which differs from the number announced in press coverage — announcements include projects that have not yet been registered, and registrations include projects that were never publicly launched. The register is the more reliable count because a project cannot legally be sold without appearing on it. Average project size across the register is 222 units, though the distribution is heavily skewed: a small number of very large towers account for a disproportionate share of the total, while the median project is considerably smaller.
359 projects · 79,806 units · AED 103.0 billion declared value — Dubai Land Department register, 5 August 2026.
Which Dubai developer launched the most units in 2026?
Binghatti Developers, by a wide margin. Binghatti registered 10,944 units across 16 projects — 13.7% of every unit registered in Dubai in 2026, and more than double the next developer. The top ten by unit volume: Binghatti (10,944 units / 16 projects), Sobha (4,120 / 3), Azizi (3,531 / 9), Danube (3,392 / 4), Imtiaz (2,058 / 3), Dubai Creek Harbour (1,852 / 3), JAG Development (1,661 / 4), Island Oasis Properties (1,626 / 3), Emaar Development (1,555 / 19) and Damac Crescent Properties (1,485 / 2). Emaar is the instructive entry. It registered more projects than anyone — 19 — but only 1,555 units, because its 2026 filings skew toward villa and townhouse phases rather than high-density towers. On declared value Emaar leads at AED 13.5 billion against Binghatti's AED 8.8 billion, which is the same point from the other direction: Emaar is building fewer, more expensive homes. Ranking developers by unit count and by value produces two different league tables, and which one matters depends on whether you are worried about rental competition or about market exposure.
Binghatti registered 13.7% of all Dubai units in 2026. Emaar filed more projects (19) but a seventh of the units.
Where is Dubai's new supply concentrated?
By registered units in 2026, the ten heaviest areas are Madinat Al Mataar (7,679 units, the Dubai South / Al Maktoum airport corridor), Jabal Ali First (5,104), Wadi Al Safa 3 — Majan (5,025), Wadi Al Safa 5 — Dubai Land Residence Complex (4,848), Jabal Ali Industrial Second (4,506), Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah — Dubai Maritime City (4,255), Nad Al Shiba First (4,253), Al Barsha South Fourth — JVC (4,189), Palm Deira (3,675) and Al Jadaf (3,359). Note these are DLD cadastral names, not the marketing names used in listings, which is a frequent source of confusion — Wadi Al Safa 3 is Majan, Al Barsha South Fourth is JVC, Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah is Dubai Maritime City. Two observations matter for a buyer. First, the airport corridor at Madinat Al Mataar is now the single largest recipient of new supply, reflecting the Al Maktoum expansion. Second, the affordable Dubailand belt — Majan and DLRC combined — accounts for 9,873 units, nearly 12% of the year's registrations, in two adjacent districts with no metro and thin retail infrastructure.
Majan and DLRC together: 9,873 units registered in 2026 — 12% of Dubai's total in two adjacent districts.
How many Dubai off-plan projects lack an escrow account?
102 of the 359 registered projects — 28% — showed no open escrow account in the register at the time of the snapshot. This is the single most useful number on this page for an individual buyer, and it needs stating carefully. An escrow account is the legal gate in Dubai's off-plan framework: until it is open, units cannot lawfully be sold, and money paid to a developer is not protected by the mechanism the law created for that purpose. A project appearing without one is not evidence of misconduct — escrow accounts commonly open within weeks of registration, and the interval between the two is ordinary administrative sequencing. The problem is that marketing does not wait. Brochures, prices, floor plans and broker listings frequently circulate while the account is still pending, and a buyer has no way of knowing from the marketing material which side of that line a project sits on. The remedy costs nothing: ask for the escrow account number in writing and check it against the DLD register yourself. A screenshot from a broker is not verification.
28% of 2026-registered Dubai projects had no open escrow account. Always verify the account number against the DLD register before paying.
What this data means if you are buying
Three practical conclusions follow from the register. First, absorption is the defining risk of this cycle, not developer failure. Nearly 80,000 units registered in a single year, concentrated in a handful of districts, means the competition for your tenant at handover is likely to be a near-identical unit a few floors away or a few streets over. Differentiation — layout size, floor, view, a district that is not already saturated — matters more than it did five years ago. Second, developer concentration cuts both ways: buying from a high-volume developer lowers the risk that construction stalls, and raises the risk that your resale competes with the same developer's newer stock. Third, verify escrow every time. It is a two-minute check against a public register, and 28% of projects give you a reason to do it. Our project pages record the registered unit count, completion date and escrow status for each project we cover, alongside the marketed figures, so the two can be compared directly.
Nearly 80,000 units in one registration year. The risk in this cycle is absorption, not construction.