Dubai Sets a New Global Benchmark for Cultural and Creative FDI
Dubai has ranked first globally in attracting new greenfield foreign direct investment projects in the cultural and creative industries in 2025, retaining the top spot for a fourth consecutive year.
The emirate attracted 754 new projects in the sector last year, ranking first among 233 cities worldwide, ahead of London, Singapore, Riyadh, and Bengaluru, according to Financial Times Ltd.’s fDi Markets data, reported by state-run news agency WAM.
These projects brought in $3.756 billion in greenfield FDI capital inflows and generated 19,304 new jobs in 2025, placing Dubai second globally for FDI capital inflows in the sector. The projects spanned a wide range of fields, including advertising and public relations, specialized computer programming, data processing and digital services, film, media and gaming, creative technology, design and architecture, entertainment, and other cultural and creative activities.
The ranking underscores Dubai’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its position within the global creative economy and continue drawing investment into cultural and creative sectors. The emirate is targeting further growth through initiatives under its Dubai Cultural Strategy 2033, which aims to attract more than 6,000 international creatives, expand the emirate’s cultural asset footprint by over 200 percent, and raise the sector’s contribution to gross domestic product to 5.4 percent.
Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, said Dubai has established a pioneering model that continues transforming creativity into economic value, talent into tangible projects, and ideas into investment opportunities and sustainable development gains, strengthening the emirate’s global competitiveness and its standing as an attractive destination for entrepreneurs and talented individuals worldwide.
She added that flexible legislation, advanced infrastructure, and a business environment supportive of innovation have all helped build investor confidence in Dubai’s ability to sustain a renewed economic and cultural system capable of anticipating global shifts and opening new paths for investment and growth.
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