Construction in United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Key Trends and Opportunities to 2023

Following two years of contraction, the UAE construction industry rebounded in 2018, and registered growth of 4.2% in real terms.

Recovery in the country’s construction industry is expected to continue over the forecast period (2019-2023), driven by a declining budget deficit and improving investor confidence, which will support new investments in residential, energy and utilities, infrastructure and commercial construction projects. Furthermore, an increase in crude oil production and government efforts to diversify the economy are expected to drive investment in the UAE construction industry over the forecast period.

Investments in transport, energy and social infrastructure development projects under various programs such as the Ministry of Education Strategic Plan 2017-2021, National Strategy for Higher Education 2030 and Education 2020 Strategy, the Energy Strategy 2050, the Sheikh Zayed Housing Program and the Dubai Tourism Strategy will support the industry’s expansion over the forecast period. In October 2018, the government approved the new Dubai Tourism Strategy with an aim to attract 21-23 million visitors by 2022 and 23-25 million tourists by 2025.

The industry’s output value in real terms is expected to rise at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.64% over the forecast period – up from 1.08% during the review period (2014-2018).

GlobalData’s "Construction in the UAE – Key Trends and Opportunities to 2023", report provides detailed market analysis, information and insights into the UAE construction industry, including –
– The UAE construction industry's growth prospects by market, project type and construction activity
– Critical insight into the impact of industry trends and issues, as well as an analysis of key risks and opportunities in the UAE construction industry
– Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, focusing on development stages and participants, in addition to listings of major projects in the pipeline.

Key Highlights

– GlobalData expects the residential construction market to retain its position over the forecast period and account for 33.1% of the industry’s total value in 2023. Over the forecast period, the market output is expected to be supported by government efforts to balance housing demand and supply through the construction of housing units. In the 2019 budget, the government increased its total spending on housing program by 6.3%, going from AED1.6 billion (US$435.7 million) in the 2018 budget to AED1.7 billion (US$462.9 million) in that of 2019
– Forecast-period growth in the industrial construction market will be driven by the government’s aim to reduce the country’s dependency on oil. In November 2018, the government launched the Industrial Development Strategy 2030 with an aim to increase the country’s industrial production capacity. Moreover, in January 2019, the government launched Polymers Park, a special zone for plastic manufacturers, with an aim to develop a manufacturing base for the downstream plastics industry. Through this, the government plans to attract AED5.5 billion (US$1.5 billion) of foreign investment in plastic manufacturing sector over the next four to five years.
– GlobalData expects the energy and utilities construction market to record a forecast-period CAGR of 6.53%, driven by the government’s focus on renewable energy. Under the Energy Strategy 2050, the government plans to increase the share of renewable energy in the country’s total energy mix from 25.0% in 2017 to 50.0% by 2050. Accordingly, the government plans to invest AED598.6 billion (US$163.0 billion) to develop the renewable energy infrastructure by 2050.
– The infrastructure construction market’s forecast-period growth will be driven by the government’s focus on high speed transport infrastructure. In order to provide faster, sustainable and efficient way to move people and goods, the government is focusing on the development of a hyperloop transport system in the country. Accordingly in April 2018, the Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) signed an agreement with Aldar Properties PJSC, with an aim to build a hyperloop system near to the site of Expo 2020 and Al Maktoum International Airport by 2020.
– The total construction project pipeline in the UAE – as tracked by GlobalData, and including all mega projects with a value above US$25 million – stands at AED4.7 trillion (US$1.3 trillion). The pipeline, which includes all projects from pre-planning to execution, is dominated by late-stage projects, with 92.6% of the pipeline value being in projects in the pre-execution and execution stages as of February 2019.

Scope

– This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the construction industry in the UAE.

– Historical (2014-2018) and forecast (2019-2023) valuations of the construction industry in the UAE, featuring details of key growth drivers.

– Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by sub-sector

– Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, including breakdowns by development stage across all sectors, and projected spending on projects in the existing pipeline.

– Listings of major projects, in addition to details of leading contractors and consultants.

Reasons to Buy

– Identify and evaluate market opportunities using GlobalData's standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies.

– Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts.

– Understand the latest industry and market trends.

– Formulate and validate strategy using GlobalData's critical and actionable insight.

– Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures.

– Evaluate competitive risk and success factors.