United Arab Emirates Short-Term Rental Market Review 2025: Revenue, Occupancy & Supply Growth
United Arab Emirates Short-Term Rental Market Overview 2025
Number of Airbnb Listings Changes in United Arab Emirates 2025
Which markets are experiencing rapid saturation?
A key consideration when entering a new short-term rental market is assessing whether it may become oversaturated. To evaluate this, we analyze the year-over-year supply change in Airbnb listings. The national average YoY supply change in United Arab Emirates was 95.46% in 2025, indicating the overall growth trajectory of the market.
Markets with Largest Absolute Supply Increases in United Arab Emirates
In absolute terms, Dubai experienced the largest increase with +8,030 new listings added in 2025. This was followed by Abu Dhabi (+791 listings) and Sarjah (+372 listings).
Markets with Fastest Relative Growth in United Arab Emirates
In relative terms, Sarjah experienced the most significant growth, with 121.33% more supply added over the 12-month period in 2025. Other rapidly expanding markets include Abu Dhabi (+112.42%) and Dubai (+52.62%).
Short-Term Rental Revenue Trend in United Arab Emirates 2025, and Future Outlook for 2026
Does increased supply necessarily indicate market saturation?
To assess market saturation, we examine year-over-year revenue trends. A decline in revenue per listing typically indicates heightened competition and potential oversaturation. The United Arab Emirates average YoY change in revenue was 9.12% in 2025, representing an increase from $30,239 in 2024 to AED121,098 in 2025.
Top Markets Revenue Performance
Dubai
Abu Dhabi
Sarjah
For more detailed revenue YoY change analysis by market, access the Airbtics dashboard to explore specific market performance metrics.
Easiest Markets for Hosts in United Arab Emirates 2025
Markets with high occupancy rates provide hosts with greater booking consistency, while markets with high booking volumes offer expanded opportunities across various property types and sizes.
Highest Occupancy Rate Markets in United Arab Emirates 2025
Dubai recorded a year-round occupancy rate of 73.00%, which is among the highest in United Arab Emirates. This was followed by Abu Dhabi (69.00%) and Sarjah (57.00%).
Highest Booking Volume Market in United Arab Emirates 2025
Markets with high booking volumes present additional advantages, as they offer diverse opportunities across various property types and price points. The market that recorded the highest booking volume in United Arab Emirates is Dubai, with approximately 6,205,886 nights booked in 2025.
Regulatory Landscape
We define a professionalized or strictly regulated market as one where over 50% of active Airbnb listings hold valid license information, indicating consistent enforcement and higher compliance. Markets below this threshold are considered unregulated or lenient.
In United Arab Emirates, 1 out of 3 markets fall into the professionalized / strict regulation category. For detailed license compliance data and market-specific regulatory insights, the Airbtics dashboard provides the percentage of listings with valid licenses for each market, enabling investors to assess regulatory risk at a granular level.
Which United Arab Emirates Markets Are Growing Healthily vs Overheating?
Understanding market saturation requires looking at both supply growth and revenue trends together. Markets are categorized by comparing their YoY supply and revenue changes against United Arab Emirates's national averages. Markets where supply is growing faster than revenue (relative to national averages) may be approaching saturation, while markets with below-average supply growth but above-average revenue growth may present hidden opportunities.
Benchmark: Markets are categorized relative to United Arab Emirates's national averages (Supply: 95.5%, Revenue: 9.1%). Markets above the national average are marked with ↑, while those below are marked with ↓.
Healthy Growth
Supply > avg, Revenue > avg
Expansion with demand keeping up
- Sarjah Supply: +121.3% | Revenue: +16.4%
Early Saturation
Supply > avg, Revenue ≤ avg
Competition rising
- Abu Dhabi Supply: +112.4% | Revenue: +8.2%
Under-the-Radar
Supply ≤ avg, Revenue > avg
Hidden opportunities
- No markets in this category
Declining
Supply ≤ avg, Revenue ≤ avg
Risky markets
- Dubai Supply: +52.6% | Revenue: +2.8%
For the latest updates of the market data in United Arab Emirates, check out our Best Airbnb Markets in United Arab Emirates.
All metrics are calculated using active short-term rental listings tracked weekly by Airbtics. Revenue, occupancy rate, ADR, and supply growth are estimated from historical booking calendars, listing activity, and proprietary aggregation models.
Source: Airbtics
Learn data methodology →
Cite this report
Airbtics (2026). United Arab Emirates Short-Term Rental Market Review 2025: Revenue, Occupancy & Supply Growth. https://airbtics.com/short-term-rental-market-report-2025-united-arab-emirates
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