UAE Attracts Record $48.3 Billion FDI, Outpacing OECD in Job Creation Rate

The UAE attracted a record $48.3 billion in foreign direct investment in 2025, marking a 6 percent annual increase and its fourth consecutive record year, according to a study by UAE-based strategic research house White Paper Media Consulting (WPM) reported by Gulf News. The figure accounted for 3.1 percent of global FDI inflows, placing the country ninth worldwide and first in the Middle East.

The country also announced 1,562 greenfield projects representing $34.1 billion in capital expenditure, or 1.8 percent of the global total, maintaining the second-highest global rank by project count for the third consecutive year.

WPM's white paper, titled "Beyond the Numbers: The Transformative Intangible Impact of FDI," benchmarked the country against the OECD FDI Qualities framework. Between 2019 and 2023, the UAE generated approximately 2,816 jobs for every $1 billion of greenfield FDI, compared to 2,265 in the preceding five-year period. This exceeded the OECD average of 2,318 jobs per $1 billion by 498 jobs, or about 21 percent, with UAE job intensity rising 24 percent versus 23 percent for the OECD.

The study linked these metrics to the National Investment Strategy 2031, which aims to triple the cumulative FDI balance to Dh2.2 trillion by 2031 and targets Dh240 billion in annual inflows. The 2025 inflows reached approximately 74 percent of that annual target, bringing the total FDI stock to Dh1.17 trillion by the end of 2025.

The report highlighted seven strategic policy shifts, including extending free zone spillovers to the mainland, prioritizing research-intensive investment, integrating skills transfer requirements into major projects, and strengthening intellectual property and data governance frameworks.