Will Market Research Drive Dubai Corporate Growth?

Instead of marking a cyclical rebound, 2026 is increasingly deemed a debt consolidation year, in which diversification-led development becomes more deeply embedded in the area's economic design, minimizing reliance on hydrocarbons and increasing resilience to external shocks. Forecasts from significant organizations broadly converge on a more powerful GCC development profile in 2026 than in 2025, supported by durable domestic demand, continued non-oil expansion, and (to differing degrees) a firmer hydrocarbon contribution.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

3.2 percent development in 2025, speeding up to 4.5 percent in 2026. Sees momentum improving, with GCC output development predicted to increase from 1.7 percent in 2024 to 3.3 percent on average in 2025, reflecting a shift towards more favorable total conditions.

The IMF's World Economic Outlook (October 2025) projects global development easing to 3.1 percent in 2026, with innovative economies around 1.5 percent and emerging market and establishing economies just above 4 percent. On that comparison, a 4.44.5 percent GCC growth would place the region materially ahead of the world average and slightly above (or broadly in line with) the emerging-market aggregate, strengthening the GCC's status as a relatively high-growth pocketprovided that regional threat conditions stay included and reform momentum holds.

Data from the GCC Statistical Center show that non-oil sectors currently represent more than 73 percent of total GDP, a share that has continued to rise as federal governments expand investment in services, facilities, and technology. According to Oxford Economics, non-energy activity throughout the GCC is predicted to grow by around 4.1 percent in 2026, supported by strong labor markets, enhancing credit conditions, and increasing investment in technology and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Maximising Corporate ROI through Strategic Market Research

Public-sector investment and reform stay central to sustaining this pattern. Policy measures focused on bring in foreign direct financial investment, easing foreign ownership guidelines, broadening capital markets, and supporting private-sector participation continue to underpin non-oil expansion and reduce the region's exposure to oil rate volatility. While hydrocarbons no longer dominate the development outlook, oil earnings are anticipated to play an encouraging function in 2026.

Oxford Economics expects Brent crude rates to fall below USD 60 per barrel in early 2026, limiting the near-term contribution of oil extraction to GDP. Oil supply is forecast to increase once again in the 2nd half of the year, with a full relaxing of remaining production caps likely by mid-2027.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Macroeconomic conditions throughout the GCC stay broadly helpful of growth. Inflation is anticipated to remain low, with the IMF forecasting average inflation of 2 percent throughout the region in 2026. Stable costs are assisting protect genuine family incomes and underpin consumer spending, which Oxford Economics expects to grow by an average of 3.5 percent over 20262027.