UK Millionaires Relocate to Dubai in Record Numbers

A striking shift in global wealth is underway, with an unprecedented influx of UK millionaires into Dubai as their new base. With approximately 16,500 HNWIs leaving the United Kingdom, Henley & Partners Private Wealth Migration Report 2025 demonstrated it as the largest millionaire outflow globally.

Contrarily, the UAE and Dubai in particular have become the central hub for relocating millionaires around the world. This inflow is driven by appealing residency gateways in the UAE and strict policy changes in the UK. The rapid advancement of Dubai’s lifestyle infrastructure and financial stability is also stimulating the relocation trend.

The result is beyond a personal story of migration among wealthy individuals. It marks a significant turning point in redefining capital flows, business networks, and property markets.

The Headline Numbers: Relocation of UK Millionaires

Latest studies by Henley & Partners’ Private Wealth Migration 2025 paint a dramatic picture showcasing how tens of thousands of millionaires are relocating internationally.

The UK is expected to report the largest expected net outflow, whereas the UAE tops as the biggest net recipient. Projections call for 10,000 millionaires setting their sights on Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Besides the UK, other countries that fall in the list for losing millionaires in 2025 include:

1. United Kingdom – 16,500
2. China – 15,200
3. India – 4,300
4. South Korea – 1,200
5. Brazil – 1,000

Why Dubai is Becoming a Top Destination for Millionaires

Compelling structural pulls in Dubai attract millionaires and high-net-worth individuals from the UK. The United Arab Emirates anticipates welcoming 9,800 HNWIs, with quite clear driving factors that include an unparalleled cosmopolitan lifestyle, along with other attractive packages.

1. The Tax-Free Ecosystem

It serves as the key stimulator in the inbound wealth trajectory. Dubai imposes no personal income tax on salaries or capital gains taxes.

2. Versatile Visa Options

From Blue Visa programs to longer-term 10-year residency strategies, Dubai offers flexible pathways for the acquisition of investor or residency visas.

3. Luxurious Lifestyle

Dubai’s standard of living environment is combined with its unrivaled position as a global connectivity hub. Moreover, the luxurious living experience comes at a much affordable cost of living than many established hubs. Dubai offers approximately 27.5% lower living costs than London. These stats explicitly clarify why millionaires are leaving the UK and choosing the UAE as their preferred option.

4. Regulatory Clarity

The government of Dubai is consistently amending regulations to enhance the business environment, provide state-backed infrastructure projects, and make private banking more reliable. Such a boastful regulatory mechanism results in reduced friction for high-net-worth individuals moving money.

It also facilitates streamlined structural setups and the relocation of families in volume. These factors shift Dubai’s recognition from a once-known seasonal gateway into a hub of permanent or semi-permanent homes.

The Push Factors in the UK Reshaping Decisions

Policy shifts in the United Kingdom have become a dominant push for many millionaires. According to the reform effective from April 2025, the government in the UK abolished the non-domicile regime. This change removed tax exemptions on foreign income as well as gains for long-term residents.

The result is higher tax burdens on high-net-worth individuals. Also, entrepreneurs and families who once structured finance around favorable UK tax policies are now re-analyzing their cost-benefit. This increasingly prompts relocation of HNWIs to more tax-efficient jurisdictions like the UAE.

Who Is Moving: The Profile of the New Arrivals

Individuals and groups moving to Dubai from across the world include:

• Fund managers
• Family-office executives
• Entrepreneurs in the tech and fintech sectors
• Ultra-HNW property investors
• Professional service partners
• Asset-rich retirees

Most represented sectors among movers are real estate development, finance, creative/ entertainment industries, and tech. Such a diverse moving profile reflects both the UAE’s growing sector diversification and the global nature of modern wealth.

Impact on Dubai Luxury Property Market

1. Increasing Demand for Luxury Residences

From branded apartments to boutique villas, a surge in high-net-worth arrivals is driving demand for premium housing in Dubai. According to the Gulf Estates report, expatriates and investors from the UK have showcased record-level interest in ultra-luxurious properties by Omniyat, Sobha Realty, and Emaar.

This leads to the voluminous absorption in the high-end segments, like low-density villas, exclusive serviced residences, and penthouses. Capital values for the prime residential sector in Dubai are anticipated to surge by 8 to 9 percent, reporting a substantial stream of family offices and wealthy migrants.

2. Luxury Rentals and Long-Term Value

Prime zones of Dubai like Downtown, DHE, and Palm Jumeirah promise the highest rental yields on luxury assets. With yields floating from 5 to 7 percent, Dubai presents a more lucrative environment than many other luxury pockets around the globe.

3. Other Luxury Products

In addition to residential real estate, high-net-worth individuals arriving in Dubai from the UK and beyond are channeling their capital into aviation services, luxury retail, and yacht products. The scalable acquisition of bespoke private wealth assets contributes to the local economy and consistently modernizes Dubai’s dynamic ecosystem.

Residency Routes and the Practicalities of Moving

The vibrant ecosystem of Dubai offers multiple pathways to UK millionaires considering a move. This predominantly includes:

• An investor visa is tied to property purchases above a specific threshold.
• Long-term residency permits (for instance, Golden Visa) for highly skilled professionals, investors, and entrepreneurs.
• Company-sponsored residence/work visas for those seeking to establish regional bases.

Besides these compelling pathways, legal and financial advisors emphasize two critical steps:

• Structuring cross-border holdings to respect reporting requirements
• Establishment of genuine tax residence, keeping the UAE and UK laws in consideration

Many relocators first adopt a hybrid lifestyle to convert from a UK tax resident into a UAE tax resident. This typically requires physical presence for 183 days or more while you maintain business ties in the UK.

Implications for Developers, Investors, and Service Providers

The trend of UK millionaire outflow and Dubai millionaire inflow advises property developers to launch product mixes. It signals the growing demand for ultra-luxury and serviced lifestyles that encapsulate a small volume of high-quality developments, the inclusion of concierge services, private financial solutions, and family-centered school links.

Family offices, private banks, and wealth managers can also benefit from the trend by providing tailored cross-jurisdictional and advisory services. Moreover, UK-based professional services, including boutique banks, wealth managers, and law firms, are advised to adapt dual-jurisdiction expertise. The realignment of roles and wealth structuring ultimately surfaces competition as well as opportunities across the services sector.

What does this Outflow Mean for the UK Economy?

The concentrated outflow of high-net-worth individuals can result in tightened fiscal conditions and wider economic effects in the UK. Wealthy individuals often contribute to the country with their outsized income tax, strong entrepreneurial activity, and robust capital gains. This migration, therefore, can make tax bases narrower and reduce private investments in certain domestic sectors.

Closing In

The stream of UK millionaires moving to Dubai brings forward not just sensational headlines but has been reshaping the movement of entrepreneurial energy, talent, and private capital. Driving these trends on a large scale are tax reforms in the UK and a favorable investor environment in Dubai.

Through the emirate’s advanced lifestyle and infrastructure, the movement is leaving immediate impacts on wealth services, real estate dynamics, and bilateral economic ties.

However, the overall phenomenon revolves around the significant impact of migration from the UK and the government’s role in retaining mobile wealth without sacrificing fairness. Policymakers and investors must give meticulous attention to this growing trend to balance competitiveness with social responsibility.