Dubai Islands is Nakheel's five-island reclamation off the Deira coast, formerly marketed as Deira Islands and renamed in 2022. It covers 18.6 square kilometres with about 57 kilometres of coastline including 21 kilometres of beachfront, and is planned for 49,000 homes and more than 231,000 residents. Three bridges connect it to the mainland via the Al Shindagha Corridor, with Dubai International 10km away and Downtown 15km. It is freehold, and there is no metro station on the islands themselves.
Dubai Islands is Nakheel’s five-island reclamation off the Deira coast, the scheme formerly sold as Deira Islands. On Nakheel’s own figures it covers 18.6 square kilometres with about 57 kilometres of coastline, of which 21 kilometres is beachfront, and it is planned for 49,000 homes and more than 231,000 residents. Three bridges connect it to the mainland through the Al Shindagha Corridor; Dubai International is 10 kilometres away and Downtown 15.
Do the arithmetic before you picture a beach community
231,000 residents on 18.6 square kilometres is roughly 12,400 people per square kilometre. That is a city, not a resort. For comparison, Nakheel’s own Palm Jebel Ali targets around 35,000 families across a larger footprint, and Palm Jumeirah — the reference everyone reaches for — houses a fraction of this. The 21 kilometres of beachfront is real and it is the reason to buy here, but it will be shared by a population larger than most emirates’ towns. Anyone modelling this as low-density waterfront living is modelling the wrong place.
The name changed, and that matters for your searches
This was Deira Islands. The rebrand to Dubai Islands came in 2022, and both names are still in circulation — in older listings, in title documents, in contractor announcements and in the DLD record for earlier plots. When you check a project on the register, check the plot and the master project rather than the marketing name, and expect to search both.
Infrastructure first, which is the honest signal to watch
In April 2026 Nakheel awarded an AED 527 million infrastructure package for Island B to Al Nasr Contracting — roads, paving, potable water, power and telecoms, drainage, sewage and district cooling integration. That is the least glamorous announcement a developer makes and the most informative one: roads and district cooling get built before towers get handed over. Track the infrastructure awards island by island rather than the launch renders, because they tell you which islands are actually being made ready.
Close to old Dubai, not to new Dubai
The location is the opposite trade to Dubai South or Palm Jebel Ali. You are ten kilometres from DXB and adjacent to Deira, which means real, functioning city — souqs, hospitals, schools, a century of settlement — rather than a masterplan promise. What you are not close to is Downtown, DIFC, Dubai Marina and the newer employment centres, all of which sit down the other end of the city. There is no metro on the islands themselves; the Green Line runs along the Deira waterfront opposite.
What we do not publish for this area
We have not read an average price per square foot, a rental yield, a service charge or a transaction count for Dubai Islands from a primary source, so none is quoted here. Handovers here are few and recent, so any yield presented for the islands is modelled rather than measured. The population, homes, area and coastline figures above are Nakheel’s own published targets, not independent measurements, and masterplan targets move.
Questions buyers ask
Where is Dubai Islands and what was it called before?
It is a five-island reclamation off the Deira coast in northern Dubai, connected by three bridges through the Al Shindagha Corridor. It was launched and sold as Deira Islands and renamed Dubai Islands in 2022. Both names still appear in listings, contractor announcements and older records, so search and check the register under both.
How big is Dubai Islands?
On Nakheel’s published figures: 18.6 square kilometres across five interconnected islands, about 57 kilometres of coastline of which 21 kilometres is beachfront, planned for 49,000 homes and more than 231,000 residents.
Is Dubai Islands a low-density beach community?
No, and this is the most misread thing about it. 231,000 residents on 18.6 square kilometres works out at roughly 12,400 people per square kilometre. The beachfront is genuine and it is the reason to buy, but it will serve a population the size of a town. Anyone modelling this as quiet waterfront living is modelling the wrong place.
Is there a metro to Dubai Islands?
Not on the islands. The Green Line runs along the Deira waterfront opposite, with Gold Souq as the nearest terminus, so the Metro is a drive and a walk away rather than a station on your island.
What are yields like on Dubai Islands?
We do not publish one. Handovers here are few and recent, so there is no body of registered rental or resale transactions to measure against. Any yield figure quoted to you for Dubai Islands is modelled rather than measured.
How do I tell which parts of Dubai Islands are actually being built?
Follow the infrastructure contract awards rather than the launch renders. In April 2026 Nakheel awarded an AED 527 million package for Island B covering roads, water, power, telecoms, drainage, sewage and district cooling. Those packages are awarded island by island and they are the honest signal for which parts are being made ready.
Last reviewed 7 September 2026 · How we verify
