The latest data from the Dubai Land Department (DLD) showed that Qatari real estate investors spend the most in Dubai with an average per unit spend of AED 6.71m (£1,095,000) last year, marking them out as the biggest per capita spenders in the emirate.

The DLD data showed that international transactions in the emirate topped £18.6bn last year and while the Qataris were the biggest individual investors, Oman had the next highest per capita spend on Dubai property at £941,000, followed by the UAE (£744,000), Saudi Arabia (£605,000), Germany (£387,000), India (£362,000) and Britain (£344,000).

The figures were released ahead of the 10th International Property Show in April. IPS organisers said the fact the highest four per capita investment in Dubai’s property market came from GCC countries showed that Gulf investors remained a key driver in the emirate’s property sector - encouraged by new investor-friendly legislation, close proximity and a rising confidence in higher return on investments.

Other foreign countries which figured in high per capita real-estate transactions in Dubai included France (£335,000), Russia (£334,000), Canada (£323,000) and the US (£298,000).