UAE 3Q project awards down 65.8%

The UAE’s projects market took a steep hit in 3Q 2025, with contract awards plunging 65.8% y-o-y to USD 6.7 bn, according to Kamco Invest’s latest GCC Projects Market Update (pdf). The country slipped from first place in 1Q and 2Q to third in 3Q as construction, transport, and power activity cooled. Saudi Arabia ranked first this quarter, followed by Qatar.

REFRESHER- The UAE led the GCC in terms of project awards in 1H 2025, booking USD 26.1 bn contracts in 1Q (+11.7% y-o-y) and USD 14.0 bn in 2Q. Growth was driven by large power and industrial awards, along with diversification-led investments in tourism and real estate.

Construction remained the UAE’s largest segment in 3Q, recording USD 5.4 bn in contract awards, despite seeing a 56.2% dip y-o-y. Transport contracts halved to USD 579 mn, and power projects totaled USD 434 mn, while there were no new oil, gas, or chemical awards during the quarter.

Notable agreements included the USD 593 mn Madar Mall in Sharjah’s Aljada development — featuring 400 retail outlets, 80 dining options, and an observation tower — and a USD 300 mn agreement to build the Erisha Smart Manufacturing Hub in Ras Al Khaimah, a mixed-use complex combining industrial, residential, and commercial facilities.

Over the first nine months of the year, total contracts fell 18% y-o-y to USD 59.7 bn. Kamco expects the market to stabilize by year-end on the back of stronger GDP growth — the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects the UAE economy to expand by 4.8% in 2025 and 5% in 2026 — and resumed Opec+ output increases.

The outlook is positive for the UAE, though, with Kamco Invest expecting projects to stabilize in the final months of 2025 and into 2026 on the back of strong economic growth. The UAE currently has the second most projects in its pipeline in the region, with USD 434 bn, or 24.4% of the regional total, trailing only Saudi Arabia, which leads with USD 887 bn in upcoming projects,

Regionally, GCC project awards dropped 27% y-o-y to USD 54.8 bn — the second-lowest level in ten quarters — on the back of declines in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and as geopolitical tensions, softer oil prices, and cost inflation weighed on investor appetite. Construction led the pullback, plunging 62.4% y-o-y to USD 11.1 bn, while power awards slipped 13.3% to USD 17.1 bn. Only oil and gas saw gains.

Saudi Arabia’s awards fell 34.8% y-o-y to USD 28.1 bn in 3Q, hit by slower giga-project execution and weaker foreign inflows. The Kingdom’s 9M total nearly halved to USD 61.5 bn from USD 116.6 bn a year earlier, though the IMF recently upgraded its 2025 growth forecast to 3.6% on expectations of stronger government-led spending.

Elsewhere, Qatar bucked the regional trend with contracts surging 115.9% y-o-y to USD 13.6 bn on the back of Asian Games-related infrastructure and industrial projects, while Kuwait rose 33.8% to USD 4.3 bn, supported by the USD 4 bn Al Zour North IWPP power and desalination project.

Kamco sees GCC project activity regaining momentum in 4Q, supported by a USD 1.8 tn pipeline of pre-execution projects — around USD 624 bn of which are in construction.