The UAE has strengthened its position as a major international investor, with capital deployed across six continents and a range of strategic sectors including energy, infrastructure, ports and logistics, technology, artificial intelligence, industry, real estate, financial services and healthcare.
Outward foreign direct investment flows from the UAE reached $63.353 billion in 2025, while the country’s outward FDI stock stood at $402.729 billion at the end of the year, according to the latest data from UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The stock compares with $55.560 billion in 2010, underscoring the expansion of the UAE’s overseas investment position.
Global FDI flows reached $1.6 trillion in 2025, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2026.
UAE investments span advanced and emerging economies across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Australia and the Pacific.
In North America, investments cover technology, energy, industry and other sectors. The region accounts for 44% of Mubadala Investment Company’s portfolio, with more than 80 direct investments and $170 billion in assets under management.
Europe accounts for 15% of Mubadala’s portfolio and Asia-Pacific for 13%, with investments spanning renewable energy, infrastructure, logistics, technology, industry, real estate, life sciences and healthcare. Latin America and the Caribbean account for 1%.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority’s long-term strategic portfolio allocation also reflects broad geographic diversification, ranging from 45% to 60% for North America, 15% to 30% for Europe, 10% to 20% for emerging markets and 5% to 10% for developed Asia.
In Africa, UAE investments span logistics, ports, energy and infrastructure, while investments in Australia and the Pacific include logistics and energy.
Ports and logistics offer a prominent example of the international expansion of UAE companies. DP World operates in more than 80 countries through a network of more than 590 business units.
AD Ports Group has also expanded its international footprint. By the end of 2025, the group operated its own offices in more than 50 countries and had a commercial presence in 158 countries, either directly or through representatives. It operated 34 ports and terminals in the UAE and internationally.
Officials and experts told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the geographic spread of UAE investments, including across Southeast Asia and South and Central America, reflects the country’s growing international investment presence and its ability to attract capital from around the world.
Fahad Al Gergawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, said the UAE had built a broad and geographically diversified international investment presence, supported by an approach focused on strengthening cooperation and developing economic and trade partnerships that open new markets and opportunities for national investments.
He said the UAE’s approach was based on economic openness and creating an enabling environment that allows investors to capitalise on opportunities across different markets.
Al Gergawi said UAE investments now extend across South and Central America, Africa and other regions offering favourable investment environments, while the UAE continues to attract investment from around the world.
He highlighted the strength of UAE investment in Africa, saying the country had become the largest investor in the continent over the past four years.
The UAE’s expanding overseas investment footprint is supported by its network of international economic relationships and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements, Al Gergawi said.
He added that CEPAs support two-way investment flows, both into the UAE and from the UAE into partner economies, as the country continues to conclude further agreements.
The UAE takes a responsible approach to international investment, seeking not only financial returns but also a positive impact on host economies and mutually beneficial outcomes, he said.
Dawood Al Shezawi, Chairman of AIM Global Foundation, said UAE capital had become increasingly sophisticated, diversified and globally distributed, with sovereign wealth funds and family offices establishing long-term strategic positions in markets including Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
UAE investors were increasingly acting as partnership builders rather than simply providers of capital, drawing on governance expertise, regulatory knowledge and institutional networks to support cross-border initiatives, he said.
That role strengthens the UAE’s position as a global investment hub and its role in connecting international capital with high-potential markets and opportunities, he added.
Dr. Khaled Hanafy, Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, said the UAE represented a leading investment model, supported by its ability to develop systems that attract investment from around the world while directing its own capital into Arab and international markets.
He said the UAE had achieved diversification both within its domestic economy and through the geographic spread of its overseas investments, including in distant markets such as South America, making its investment experience a strong model in the sector.
