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UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2026 placed the UAE ninth among the top 20 home economies for outward foreign direct investment last year even as its annual flows moderated from 2024 levels. The report documented global FDI rising 6 percent to $1.6 trillion in 2025 after two years of decline, with developing Asia contributing one third of total outflows and several Gulf economies featuring prominently among sources. UNCTAD data listed the UAE’s outward FDI stock at $402.729 billion at the close of 2025, up from $55.56 billion in 2010, reflecting sustained accumulation across multiple continents and sectors.
The recovery in global investment proved narrow and uneven according to the UN Trade and Development assessment, as inflows to developed economies increased 11 percent while developing economies saw only 2 percent growth to reach $901 billion. Megaprojects in strategic industries such as artificial intelligence infrastructure accounted for much of the headline advance, with the top 20 host economies capturing more than 80 percent of worldwide FDI. The UAE maintained its dual role as both a significant recipient and exporter of capital, attracting $48.243 billion in inflows during the same period to rank ninth globally.
West Asia as a region attracted nearly $111 billion in FDI inflows in 2025, a rise supported by strong performances in Gulf economies including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the UNCTAD regional trends document showed. Outward investment from the UAE has increasingly targeted digital infrastructure, real estate and construction alongside traditional energy and logistics plays. The report noted that the GCC economies have grown more visible as outward investors through sovereign wealth funds and state-owned enterprises.
UAE outward flows spanned advanced and emerging markets on six continents with notable emphasis on North America, Europe and Asia, according to supporting detail in the UNCTAD analysis. Mubadala Investment Company maintained 44 percent of its portfolio in North America with more than 80 direct investments and $170 billion in assets under management there. The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority followed a comparable approach, allocating between 45 and 60 percent of its long-term strategic portfolio to North America and 15 to 30 percent to Europe.
Ports and logistics operators illustrated the geographic reach, with DP World active in more than 80 countries through over 590 business units by the end of 2025. The UNCTAD report highlighted recent greenfield megaprojects backed by UAE entities, including large renewable energy, real estate and hydrogen initiatives in African and regional markets. These investments have reinforced the UAE’s position as a leading capital exporter within the broader developing Asia group that drove one third of global outward FDI.
Fahad Al Gergawi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Trade, attributed the expansion to policies promoting economic openness and bilateral partnerships that facilitate two-way investment. The ministry has pursued comprehensive economic partnership agreements to deepen such ties, particularly across Africa where the UAE has become the largest investor over the past four years. UNCTAD expects trade policy uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and economic fragmentation to cloud the outlook for 2026 despite the 2025 rebound.
