The Sharjah Economic Development Department announced that economic performance indicators demonstrated significant growth in the first quarter of 2026. The number of licenses issued and renewed during this period reached a total of 18,921, compared to 18,768 in the same quarter of 2025, marking a growth rate of 1%.
The department highlighted that there was a remarkable increase in business license performance indicators in the first quarter of 2026, with a total of 2,991 new business licenses issued, reflecting a growth of 36%. Renewals for business licenses totaled 15,930 for the same period last year.
Hamad Ali Abdullah Al Mahmoud, head of the Sharjah Economic Development Department and a member of the Executive Council of the emirate, stated that the indicators for registered business licenses in the first quarter of this year reflect the robustness of the local economy and the continued attraction of Sharjah as a promising investment destination, thereby enhancing the emirate’s sustainable growth trajectory. He noted that Sharjah is following a clear strategy to maintain stable growth rates, leveraging key factors such as its prime geographic location, ongoing development in service sectors, and continuous efforts to upgrade services to meet the highest global quality standards.
The data also showed a notable increase in the growth rate of licenses issued by type in the first quarter of 2026. Commercial licenses topped the list with a total of 1,671 licenses issued, followed by professional licenses with 999, industrial licenses at 123, accreditation licenses with 123, and e-commerce licenses closing the list with 75.
Regarding renewed licenses, commercial licenses again led with a total of 10,289, followed by professional licenses at 4,454, industrial licenses at 867, accreditation licenses at 224, and e-commerce licenses with 96.
In terms of geographical distribution of license performance indicators across the department’s branches, the number of new business licenses issued by the main office reached 1,510 in the first quarter, followed by the industrial zones branch with 841 licenses. The central region branch issued 326, Khorfakkan branch recorded 195, while Kalba branch issued around 98. The Daba Al-Hisn branch had a total of 21 licenses issued.
For renewed business licenses in the same period, the industrial zones branch led with 7,069, followed by the main office with 6,064, the central region branch with 1,567, Khorfakkan with 636, Kalba with 483, and Daba Al-Hisn with 111 licenses.
Commercial Regulation
The Sharjah Economic Development Department remains committed to fostering a fair relationship between traders and consumers. The department interacts with consumers in Sharjah’s markets through various channels to educate them and make them aware of their fundamental rights, utilizing platforms and websites along with ongoing field visits. A total of 44,446 commercial monitoring transactions were recorded in the first quarter of this year, in line with the emirate’s economic growth in 2026 and the increased demand for business licenses.
Complaints
The total number of completed commercial protection complaints reached 3,073 in the first quarter of 2026, achieving a success rate of 89%. Consumer protection complaints comprised the majority, totaling 2,812, followed by service agent complaints at 154, and commercial fraud complaints at 107. The department intensified its monitoring activities during the crisis to oversee markets and price hikes, resulting in only 7 price complaints, accounting for 0.2% of all complaints received.