Dubai has 175 live and planned branded residence schemes, more than twice Miami’s total, as the Middle East grows to represent a quarter of the global development pipeline.
October 01, 2026 | Palak Kataria | UAE | Real Estate | 3 Min Read
Image Courtesy: Knight Frank
The Middle East has emerged as a major growth centre for branded residences, with the region now accounting for 25% of the global development pipeline, according to Knight Frank’s newly released The Residence Report 2026/27.
At the centre of that expansion is Dubai.
The emirate has 175 branded residence schemes, comprising 68 operational developments and another 107 in the pipeline. That puts Dubai at more than twice the scale of Miami, which has 73 live and planned schemes, and almost six times London’s 30.
But the UAE’s branded-residence story is increasingly moving beyond Dubai.
Abu Dhabi now ranks eighth globally, with 24 live and planned branded residence schemes, including 19 yet to be delivered.
Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah follows in ninth position with 23 schemes, all currently in the pipeline.
Together, the UAE represents 19% of the global branded residence development pipeline, according to Knight Frank.
The composition of the market is changing as well.
Non-hotel brands already account for 42% of schemes in Dubai, 38% in Abu Dhabi and more than half; 52% on Al Marjan Island.
Globally, hotel operators still represent around 70% of operational branded residences. Once projects under development are included, however, their share drops to 60%. Knight Frank expects non-hotel brands to approach 40% of supply by 2028 as automotive, fashion and lifestyle names increasingly enter the sector.
The expansion is part of a much larger global cycle.
Knight Frank identified nearly 1,800 live and pipeline schemes across more than 200 brands and 90 countries. There were 903 operational schemes at the end of 2025, with that number expected to reach approximately 1,088 by the end of 2026.
Based on the existing pipeline, the market could approach 1,800 schemes and more than 300,000 residences by 2031.
The scale of supply is also changing what buyers expect from a branded home.
Louis Harding, Partner and Head of Residential, UAE at Knight Frank, said buyers are increasingly assessing the underlying quality of the property, its location and service proposition rather than relying primarily on the brand attached to it.
That could become increasingly important as competition intensifies.
Knight Frank also points to different forces driving demand across the UAE.
In Abu Dhabi, branded residential expansion is taking place alongside growth in wealth, finance and investment activity. The report notes that Modon sold 1,700 homes at Hudayriyat Golf Estates within days during summer 2026, generating approximately AED13 billion in sales.
Ras Al Khaimah, meanwhile, is benefiting from tourism and greater international connectivity. International flight volumes into the emirate increased 44% between 2023 and 2026, compared with a 37% rise in Abu Dhabi.
Clare Moukabaa, Partner - Residential Consultancy, Knight Frank MENA, said the differences mean developers increasingly need to understand the buyer and location first rather than applying the same branded-residence model across markets.
With Dubai already the world’s largest branded-residence market and Abu Dhabi and Al Marjan Island now joining the global top 10, the UAE’s next phase appears likely to be defined not only by how much branded supply it adds, but how developers differentiate that growing pipeline.
Sources: Knight Frank; The Residence Report 2026/27; Knight Frank Global Branded Residence Survey 2026
