The Henley Private Wealth Migration Report 2025 projects that the UAE will attract a net inflow of roughly 9,800 millionaires this year — the largest number in the world for the fourth year in a row. A parallel signal from the real estate market: the Savills World Cities Prime Residential Index (November 2025 update) puts Dubai first among global prime residential centres. Here is what sits behind the numbers and which instruments make the UAE the primary destination for wealthy families.
What the Henley report says
In its annual Private Wealth Migration Report 2025 (June 2025), Henley & Partners forecasts that the UAE will see a net inflow of about 9,800 millionaires in 2025 — HNWIs (High-Net-Worth Individuals) with USD 1 million or more in liquid investable assets. That is the highest number of any country in the world and the fourth consecutive year in which the UAE tops the global HNWI migration ranking.
The report is compiled on the basis of New World Wealth data — a specialised dataset on HNWI wealth and migration. It counts the net difference: individuals who move to and take up tax residency in a country, minus those who leave. The figures are forecasts and may be refined in subsequent updates.
Dubai — #1 in the global prime residential ranking
A parallel real estate signal: in the November 2025 update of its World Cities Prime Residential Index, Savills placed Dubai first among global prime residential centres for the first time in the index's history. New York, Singapore and Hong Kong follow, with Abu Dhabi rounding out the top five.
Prime residential is the multi-million-dollar tier of the housing market — a key indicator of HNWI demand. The index reflects not only price levels but aggregate appetite: deal volumes, share of international buyers, activity in the top tier. For a detailed view of actual prime yields in Dubai and how ROI is calculated, see the Garant analysis Dubai property yields: how to calculate real ROI.
What makes the UAE a magnet for wealthy families
The drivers are not a single perk but an institutional package that works together:
- No personal income tax. The UAE does not tax personal income — salaries, dividends, capital gains or investment income of residents. The 9% corporate tax introduced in 2023 applies to legal entities on taxable profit above AED 375,000 — a separate perimeter that does not touch private capital directly.
- Golden Visa for 5 and 10 years. A long-term residence programme without a mandatory sponsor: investors, entrepreneurs, specialists in in-demand fields, distinguished talents in science, culture and sport, outstanding students. A current 2026 overview of categories and thresholds is available in the guide UAE Golden Visa 2026: updated categories and requirements.
- Family office frameworks in DIFC and ADGM. Both financial free zones — DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) and ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market) — offer structured family office regimes (Prescribed Company, Foundation, Single Family Office), English common law as the regulatory environment and independent courts. This delivers institutional access to private banking and wealth management, and clean separation of business and family assets.
- Infrastructure and connectivity. International air connectivity, political stability, access to international schools and clinics — mandatory criteria for HNWI migration in the New World Wealth methodology. The UAE has been improving its position on these parameters in independent quality-of-life indices for HNW residents.
What the services market shows
An indirect but telling indicator is the expansion of international private banking in the UAE. Major global banks have been steadily scaling wealth management teams and opening dedicated HNWI centres in DIFC and ADGM. A parallel trend is the growth of family office setups: in 2024–2026 Garant Business Consultancy has supported such projects alongside DIFC and ADGM specialist counsel.
What it means for businesses and private clients
For entrepreneurs and asset owners the Henley and Savills numbers are not about country marketing — they are confirmation that an institutional package is actually working. Practical implications:
- the window for obtaining a Golden Visa via real estate investment or specialist activity is widening, but requires correct structuring — jurisdiction, asset type, completeness of documentation;
- a family office setup in DIFC or ADGM becomes a meaningful alternative to traditional offshore structures — subject to genuine substance and compliance;
- the growing HNWI share in Dubai's prime housing segment translates into tougher competition for liquid assets — a due diligence factor;
- formal UAE tax residency is documented via a Tax Residency Certificate (TRC) issued in EmaraTax — 183 days of physical presence, or UAE resident status with the centre of vital and economic interests in the country.
This article is informational and does not constitute investment or legal advice. Figures from the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report and the Savills World Cities Prime Residential Index are estimates and are updated annually by the authors of the reports. For Golden Visa, DIFC/ADGM family office setup and UAE tax residency matters — Garant advisory team.
