Dubai tops global ranking in new FDI projects in cultural and creative industries for fourth consecutive year

Dubai has retained the top global position for Greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) for the fourth consecutive year, attracting 754 new projects in 2025 and creating 19,304 jobs, while drawing $3.756 billion in FDI capital. The emirate led among 233 cities tracked, ahead of London (227 projects), Singapore (197), Riyadh (157) and Bengaluru (132), underscoring a shift toward digital content, creative technology and AI-driven services within the creative economy.

“Guided by the vision of its leadership, Dubai has built an environment that gives creativity room to grow, enables talent to turn ambition into enterprise, and connects promising ideas with investment and opportunity,” said Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. “What is particularly encouraging is the diversity and maturity of the sectors driving this growth today; we are witnessing a clear shift towards industries connected to digital content, creative technology, artificial intelligence, and emerging creative services.”

The results come from Financial Times Ltd.’s fDi Markets dataset for 2025 and reflect strong performance across multiple CCI sub‑sectors. Dubai placed second globally for FDI capital inflows within the sector, with investment distributed across both core cultural activities and the wider creative value chain. Officials highlighted that the emirate’s investor-friendly ecosystem — including full foreign ownership, streamlined business setup, specialised clusters, long‑term residency pathways and advanced digital infrastructure — has been pivotal in attracting projects that span content creation to technology-enabled services.

Sector drivers and investor origins

• Key sub-sectors cited as growth drivers include advertising and public relations; specialised computer programming services; data processing and digital services; film, media and gaming; AI-powered creative technologies; creative education; design and architecture; crafts and cultural industries; performing arts and entertainment; museums and historical sites; and supporting logistics services.
• Top five source countries for Greenfield capital inflows in 2025 were: India (19%), United States (17.5%), China (13%), Malaysia (12%) and the United Kingdom (9%).
• In terms of project counts, the United Kingdom led with 21.5% of projects, followed by India at 21%, the United States at 14% and France at 4%.

“Dubai’s continued leadership in attracting new foreign direct investment projects within the cultural and creative industries, for the fourth consecutive year, reflects the vision of our leadership and the enduring confidence that Dubai inspires among global investors, entrepreneurs and innovators,” said His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. He described the city’s ecosystem as one “in which creativity, advanced technology and enterprise converge to create sustainable economic value, high‑quality employment opportunities and new avenues for growth.”

Her Excellency Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture, added that the indicators demonstrate the “maturity of the emirate’s creative ecosystem and its capacity to generate opportunities that meet the ambitions of investors and the wider creative community,” linking the performance to strategic frameworks such as the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy.

Outlook: Dubai’s 2025 performance suggests sustained investor interest in the intersection of culture and technology, particularly in digital content, gaming, AI‑enabled creative tools and specialised digital services. With policy levers and infrastructure already aligned to attract overseas capital and talent, city officials intend to leverage the momentum to further scale creative enterprises, expand employment in high‑value sub‑sectors and deepen collaboration between government and private sector stakeholders.