Sharjah FDI projects grew 45% in 2025, Invest in Sharjah CEO says
In short
Invest in Sharjah’s CEO said the emirate recorded 45 per cent growth in foreign direct investment projects in 2025. He attributed the UAE’s appeal to investors to four pillars, the first being economic diversification, with non-oil activities at 79.4 per cent of the economy in the first quarter of 2026, Gulf News reported. WAM framed the growth as reflecting the UAE economy’s competitiveness, while Arabian Business linked it to investors seeking stability and adaptable economies.
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Sharjah recorded 45 per cent growth in foreign direct investment projects in 2025, according to the CEO of Invest in Sharjah, a figure carried by the state news agency WAM, Arabian Business and Gulf News. WAM presented the growth as reflecting the UAE economy’s competitiveness. Arabian Business said it came as investors seek stability and adaptable economies. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The CEO said the UAE economy’s attractiveness rests on four main pillars, Arabian Business and Gulf News reported. The first, he said, is economic diversification and the distribution of growth drivers, with non-oil activities accounting for 79.4 per cent of the economy in the first quarter of 2026, led by financial services, construction, healthcare and telecommunications, according to Gulf News. [ 2 , 3 ]
The documents name only that first pillar and give no further detail on the remaining three. They also do not set out how the 45 per cent FDI project growth was measured, against which period, or its value. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The remarks come from Sharjah’s inward-investment promotion body and were carried by a state news agency and two business outlets, giving the figure wide circulation among investor-facing audiences. The documents present the FDI growth as evidence of the UAE’s wider economic competitiveness, though they offer no independent verification of the 45 per cent figure.
Key facts
- Sharjah recorded 45 per cent growth in FDI projects in 2025, according to Invest in Sharjah’s CEO. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The CEO said the UAE economy’s attractiveness to global investors rests on four main pillars. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The first pillar he cited was economic diversification and the distribution of growth drivers. [ 3 ]
- Non-oil activities accounted for 79.4 per cent of the economy in the first quarter of 2026, led by financial services, construction, healthcare and telecommunications. [ 3 ]
- WAM said the growth reflects the UAE economy’s competitiveness. [ 1 ]
- Arabian Business said the growth comes as investors seek stability and adaptable economies. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The other three pillars the CEO cited are not named. Only the first pillar is described in the documents; the rest are referred to only as four pillars.
- The basis for the 45 per cent growth figure is not given. No methodology, comparison year, project count or value is provided in any document.
- Non-oil activities at 79.4 per cent of the economy in the first quarter of 2026 are reported by a single outlet. Only Gulf News states this figure, so it is not corroborated by another outlet.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- WAM publishes the Invest in Sharjah CEO’s remarks linking Sharjah’s 45 per cent FDI project growth to the UAE economy’s competitiveness. [ 1 ]
- Arabian Business reports the 45 per cent growth and the CEO’s four pillars underpinning the UAE’s appeal to global investors. [ 2 ]
- Gulf News reports the 45 per cent growth and details the first pillar, citing non-oil activities at 79.4 per cent of the economy in the first quarter of 2026. [ 3 ]