Dubai has once again ranked #1 globally for Greenfield Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects in 2024, according to Financial Times’ “fDi Markets.” This marks the fourth consecutive year the city has led the world in attracting new investment.

In 2024, Dubai attracted AED 52.3 billion ($14.24 billion) in FDI, a 33.2% increase from 2023, with 1,117 Greenfield projects and 1,826 total FDI projects—the highest ever. These investments created 58,680 new jobs, up 31% year-on-year.

Visionary Growth

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed credited this success to Dubai’s strategic leadership and the D33 Agenda, aiming to double the economy by 2033 and secure a spot among the world’s top three urban economies. He highlighted Dubai’s resilience, world-class infrastructure, and pro-business environment as key factors driving investor confidence.

Global and Regional Leadership

Dubai ranked 4th globally in FDI capital and 3rd in job creation, while maintaining 1st place in the Middle East and Africa across all key metrics. The city also remained #1 worldwide for headquarter FDI projects for the third year in a row.

Key Sectors

Top sectors for FDI included:

• Business services

• Software & IT

• Real estate

• Financial services

• Tourism

• AI and cybersecurity

Dubai also claimed 8% of global Advanced Tech FDI projects, cementing its status as a tech and innovation hub.

Leading Investors

Top countries for FDI capital: India, US, France, UK, Switzerland. Top by project count: UK, India, US, France, Italy.

Outlook

With a 6.2% global share in Greenfield FDI and 55% of MEA’s total, Dubai is set to remain a global investment leader amid rising international FDI flows, driven by its innovation focus and favorable business climate.