Abu Dhabi named world’s leading improver in JLL’s 2026 Global Real Estate Transparency Index

Abu Dhabi has topped the list of the world’s most improved real estate markets for transparency in JLL’s 2026 Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI), rising eight places from 41st in 2024 to 33rd globally with a score of 2.42.

The index covers 88 countries and 146 city markets and assesses transparency across 260 factors.

The improvement reflects Abu Dhabi’s progress in governance, regulatory maturity and the institutional development of its real estate market, supported by economic diversification and the comprehensive digital transformation led by the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC).

Key initiatives include publicly accessible dashboards providing real-time property and market data, interactive maps detailing unit-level transactions and service charges, and open APIs enabling seamless data integration.

Alongside stronger regulatory frameworks to protect investor interests and the digitisation of services, these measures have reinforced Abu Dhabi’s position among the Gulf’s leading markets for real estate transparency.

Expanding access to reliable data within a secure and structured framework is also supporting greater predictability for investors and strengthening the emirate’s appeal to global capital.

The next phase will focus on improving access to trusted market information, expanding digital real estate services and transactions, and identifying areas where Abu Dhabi can make further progress against international benchmarks.

Rashed Al Omaira, Director-General of ADREC, said Abu Dhabi’s recognition as the world’s leading improver in real estate transparency reflects progress in governance, investor protection and access to trusted market information.

He added that the next phase will focus on transforming reliable data into earlier insights on demand, risk and market performance through advanced analytics and artificial intelligence.

Al Omaira said ADREC aims to place Abu Dhabi among the world’s 25 most transparent real estate markets by 2030.

Mouhammad Takieddin, CEO for the Middle East and Africa at JLL, said transparency is essential to attracting foreign investment, with capital increasingly flowing towards markets offering clarity, strong digital infrastructure and reliable data.

James Allan, JLL Country CEO for the UAE, Egypt and Africa, said Abu Dhabi’s progress in corporate governance and the use of technology to provide reliable data is strengthening investor confidence and supporting long-term decision-making.

GRETI 2026 showed that around two-thirds of surveyed markets improved their transparency levels, while transaction volumes in highly transparent markets rose 64 percent over the past two years and accounted for more than 80 percent of global direct real estate investment.