Sharjah has the right mix to drive your business forward. It is the gateway to the Middle East, offering businesses a low-cost working environment, access to unparalleled talent and support at the highest level.
Sharjah’s cultural offerings, thriving art scene and UNESCO Heritage sites have long-attracted visitors from around the world. Recent major investments in infrastructure and large-scale tourism destinations around the emirate’s open deserts, mountains, beaches and natural reserves have seen Sharjah- dubbed the UAE’s culture capital- transform into a popular hot spot for adventure and eco-tourism, particularly in the rapidly-growing eastern and central regions, generating tremendous opportunities for hospitality, leisure, entertainment, food and beverage, retail, and other travel-related offering.
75%International tourists
19.48mPassengers at Sharjah International Airport 2025
2.1mHotel visitors (2025)
70%Guests stay at 4-5-star hotels
Nestled between the rapidly-growing northern emirates and the global financial hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and strategically located at the heart of global trade with three seaports, an international airport, and six free zones, Sharjah serves as the UAE’s industrial hub and gateway to the world’s fastest growing markets across Asia, Africa and Europe. As the only emirate with ports on both the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean, Sharjah offers the shortest maritime journey between the GCC and Asia and unparalleled access to the rest of the UAE and beyond.
25mPassenger capacity at Sharjah International Airport by 2025
20KTotal metres of berth
62%Of industrial hubs dedicated to freight forwarding
Rapidly expanding export and re-export market
With its world-class infrastructure and robust network of university hospitals, R&D centres and private clinics, Sharjah is uniquely placed to become a leading healthcare capital in the Middle East. Major government initiatives such as Sharjah Healthcare City are creating new opportunities for growth while ensuring extremely low barriers to entry for healthcare providers. A rapidly-growing and predominantly young demographic have fuelled demand for the development of medical and wellness products and services across the healthcare value chain.
16Public & private hospitals (2025)
1000+Additional beds needed
$1,268UAE health expenditure per capita on avg (USD)
Insurance and private healthcare for all
Sharjah is on track to reach a ‘zero waste-to-landfill’ target by 2022. With strong government support for green initiatives and ground-breaking projects like Sharjah Sustainable City- the first net zero energy community in Sharjah- and state-of-the-art waste-to-energy projects, sustainability and waste management are at the heart of the emirate’s development. Innovation-led policies have produced an ecosystem that is especially welcoming of sustainability and clean-tech start-ups with tremendous opportunities for research and development, commercialization, and public-private partnerships.
5%Annual increase in demand for power
9.5Hours of daily sunlight for solar energy
2.3mTonnes of waste collected by Bee’ah from 1 million households each year
MEA energy innovation hub
A regional hub for higher education, Sharjah- home to one of the world’s largest university cities- has long-been recognized as the education hotspot of the UAE and a major centre for research and development. With a strong government commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship, the emirate has developed a world-class innovation ecosystem leveraging University City’s rich pool of talent, research and technology-focused free zones, incubators, accelerators, makerspaces, and additive manufacturing facilities which is now home to a thriving startup scene and pilot projects with technology giants from around the world.
2000+PhD holders
47kStudents in University City
22Higher learning institutions in the University City(2019)
232+Schools (2019)
The manufacturing sector is the second-highest contributor to Sharjah’s GDP and accounts for one third of the UAE’s manufacturing output. Sharjah is widely recognized as the industrial hub of the nation, particularly owing to its six free zones and 33 industrial zones which are strategically located near major air and sea ports. The emirate has long been a leader in light manufacturing and has recently emerged as a hotbed for advanced manufacturing utilizing next-generation technologies such as robotics, AI, and 3D printing for the production of products including drones, mega yachts, and construction equipement.
16.3%Of GDP based on industry & manufacturing
150kEmployees in the emirate’s Industrial City
62%Of industrial hubs dedicated to freight forwarding
33Industrial Zones
The UAE’s Food Security Strategy aims to position the UAE as a world-leading hub for innovation-driven food security and amongst the most food-secure countries in the world. With a deep culture in research and innovation, dedicated Food Park to bring food to market, and world-class Research Technology and Innovation Park, Sharjah is home to many Agritech companies, startups, and pilot projects. Sharjah is in an advantageous geographic position with coasts on both sides of the country. It is the industrial hub of the UAE, and has lower operating costs than some neighbouring emirates.
3.6B(USD) UAE agricultural Product Market (2025)
1.1B(USD) Expected size of the UAE agricultural product market by 2024
9.8%CAGR of revenue from agricultural products in UAE (2019)
24.7B (USD)UAE food trade value (2020)
