In its Impacts thought leadership programme, the international real estate advisor says that EMEA will see the strongest relative investment growth next year, with an increase of 22% to $300 billion, but the Americas will remain the largest real estate investment market overall, with turnover forecast to reach $570 billion – up by 15% – driven by the US, which will reach $530 billion. Around one-quarter is anticipated to come in the offices sector which, Savills says, is set to further increase its share of global investment in 2026. While some economic and fiscal headwinds remain a concern – and are identified by Savills researchers as the key theme that will shape every property sector and both investment and occupier markets next year – it says that overall it is seeing investor optimism return, driven by the return of institutional capital, resilient occupier demand and the release of pent-up activity following several years of sub-trend activity.

89% of Savills researchers from around the world say they are forecasting prime office rents in their regions to rise in 2026, with two-thirds expecting rents to grow by 2% or more, as take-up strengthens driven by organisations continuing to seek high quality offices. Consequently, 82% of Savills researchers are forecasting that capital values for prime/grade A offices are set to grow next year in their region. Investor demand is also set to be resilient among the residential and industrial & logistics sectors, with the retail sector also offering opportunities. While the picture in the latter is nuanced between sub-sectors and regions, overall two-thirds of Savills researchers are anticipating retail rental growth in 2026, and another 26% anticipate rents remaining stable.

Rasheed Hassan, Head of Savills Global Cross Border Investment team, says: “2025 marked a turning point in real estate capital markets with investment turnover in the first three quarters up 10% compared with the same period in 2024. More importantly, the underlying data reinforces the narrative of stability and recovery; capital values have bottomed out, average deal sizes are increasing, and debt is once again accretive to returns. We expect these positive trends to strengthen further in 2026.”

While the impact is yet to fully play out, Savills researchers have also flagged technology as a key theme that will shape global real estate in 2026: it has climbed two places in its rankings  since last year to become the second most important market driver flagged among researchers, propelled by rapid AI adoption. Savills says that its impact on global workforces will vary by sector, influencing office demand and reshaping occupational strategies and, that while living sectors may offer a hedge, AI-driven disruption will touch all asset classes. Nonetheless, it will also bring opportunity in the form of data centres and the transformative potential of PropTech.

Top themes shaping global real estate in 2026 (change from 2025)

Source: Savills Research

Paul Tostevin, Head of Savills World Research, comments: “2026 offers renewed optimism, and overall we anticipate growth in both investment and occupier activity across most sectors in the majority of regions next year, although there will still be plenty of forces to navigate. The economy remains front and centre, with falling interest rates and available capital converging with resilient occupier demand, supporting a recovery in investment activity. Technological change, driven by rising AI adoption, is a rapidly rising market driver, but investors and occupiers should not overlook demographics and behavioural change. Real estate ultimately exists to serve people – where they live, work, shop and spend leisure time. As these behaviours evolve and demographic profiles shift, operational expertise is becoming a key differentiator.”