Dubai Leads Global Wealth Migration: Why Nearly 10,000 Millionaires Will Move to the UAE in 2025
The migration wave is real, and it’s accelerating. According to the latest Henley & Partners Private Wealth Migration Report, 165,000 millionaires are set to relocate globally in 2025. The United Kingdom alone faces a net loss of 16,500 millionaires, while the UAE is forecast to gain nearly 10,000. Primarily from London, Mumbai, Moscow, and Beijing.
UAE: The World’s New Capital of Private Wealth
This momentum cements the UAE’s status as the world’s leading destination for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), driven by visionary governance, advanced legal frameworks, and a lifestyle ecosystem unlike anywhere else on Earth.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi have evolved into global powerhouses for wealth migration, attracting entrepreneurs, investors, and family offices at record speed. With an expected net inflow of 9,800 millionaires in 2025, the UAE stands ahead of traditional wealth magnets like the U.S., Singapore, and Switzerland.
The reasons are clear: tax efficiency, geopolitical stability, English common law jurisdictions, and a commitment to innovation and lifestyle excellence. These pillars have transformed the Emirates into a future-ready hub for international capital and generational wealth.
Why the World’s Wealth Is Moving to the UAE
Insights from St. James’s Place Middle East, a UK FTSE-listed wealth advisory firm, mirror this trend:
“The UAE’s popularity is being fuelled by outbound movements from the UK, and shifting wealth preferences in Asia.”
A key driver of this migration is the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), now home to over 120 family offices managing $1.2 trillion in assets. Within a single year, DIFC recorded a 33% rise in family offices, a 51% increase in foundations, and a 50% surge in hedge funds. Today, 410 asset management firms operate in DIFC, collectively marketing over 10,000 funds worldwide.
According to Hourani & Partners,
“The UAE’s ability to offer secular legal structures for marriage, divorce, and inheritance has been a game-changer. It’s helped attract global families seeking stability and long-term asset protection.”
Asset Management and Financial Growth Momentum
An economist of the Apex Boards for the Middle East and India, attributes the UAE’s surge to its:
“Strategic location, deep capital pools, English common law system, and world-class infrastructure.”
The twin financial hubs of DIFC in Dubai and ADGM in Abu Dhabi provide international investors with secure, transparent legal frameworks under common law — a defining advantage in the region.
Even the introduction of corporate tax in 2023 has not slowed investment. Instead, foreign direct investment (FDI) continues to rise, supported by 140 double taxation treaties, expanding fintech ecosystems, and ambitious initiatives in AI, blockchain, and digital finance. Global giants like BlackRock and Goldman Sachs are ramping up regional investments to ride the UAE’s growth wave.
Ras Al Khaimah: The New Frontier for Luxury Investment
While Dubai and Abu Dhabi remain dominant, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is emerging as a rising hotspot for the ultra-wealthy. The upcoming Wynn Resort, slated to open in 2027 as the region’s first regulated gaming destination, is catalyzing investor confidence and global curiosity.
According to Knight Frank, 46% of global HNWIs now consider RAK an attractive property investment destination. Among UAE-based wealthy expats, that figure jumps to 80%.
With RAKICC and RAKEZ offering cost-efficient business zones and new lifestyle developments, RAK is fast becoming the third pillar of the UAE’s wealth ecosystem.
Visas, Reforms, and the Future of Wealth in the UAE
The UAE’s Golden Visa programme remains a cornerstone of its success. In the past nine months alone, five new sponsor-free visa categories have been introduced, covering digital content creators, healthcare professionals, and even luxury yacht owners. Meanwhile, the Dubai Social Agenda 33, backed by AED 208 billion, reflects a long-term commitment to family development, generational prosperity, and social cohesion, making the UAE not just a place to live, but a place to belong.
Bottom Line: The Future Points to the Emirates
As Henley & Partners’ explains:
“Wealth migration has shifted from being an emergency backup to a core planning tool. And the UAE has emerged as one of the most effective platforms to execute that strategy.”
With its strategic reforms, world-class infrastructure, forward-looking governance, and visionary wealth policies, the UAE isn’t just attracting global wealth, it’s redefining the future of where and how it’s managed. In 2025, the world’s affluent aren’t just relocating, they’re converging on the Emirates.
Business and lifestyle journalist
