Scotland is emerging as one of the most sought-after UK property markets for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) buyers, driven by strong price growth, resilient demand and growing international appeal, according to new data released by Sharia’a‑compliant digital bank Nomo.
The findings, published in Nomo’s latest Property Pulse report, using search data provided by Rightmove, highlight Scotland as a standout performer within the UK housing market. This coincides with Nomo’s recent expansion of its property finance to include Scottish properties, alongside its established England and Wales offering.
In Q4 2025, Scotland accounted for nearly one in five (18%) of all UK property searches from GCC residents, consistently ranking among the top three UK regions alongside London. Notably, in April 2025 Scotland matched London as the joint most searched region, each accounting for 23% of GCC searches. Since Nomo began tracking GCC search activity in December 2024, Scotland has remained a consistent top‑three destination for overseas buyers.
The UAE dominated interest in Scotland, accounting for 60% of all GCC searches in the country,. This was followed by Saudi Arabia at 29% - a higher share than its proportion of UK‑wide searches at just 22%.
Edinburgh and Glasgow emerged as the most searched for destinations, representing 18% and 14% of Scottish GCC searches respectively. Together, the cities serve as international hubs for employment, education, tourism and culture, making them particularly attractive to overseas buyers.
Secondary locations within Scotland’s Central Belt also attracted interest, including South Lanarkshire and Stirling, where activity was partly driven by strong employment centres and student populations.
This comes as Scotland recorded the strongest house price growth of any mainland UK region, with prices rising 5.4% year‑on‑year to an average of £221,711 in January according to the Halifax House Price Index.
Emma Bilan, Head of Property Finance at Nomo, said:
“The data shows a clear affinity between GCC residents and Scottish property, particularly across Edinburgh and Glasgow.
“Scotland’s housing market continues to be supported by strong fundamentals - from steady price growth to diverse buyer demand. This is a key reason why we’ve expanded to Scotland and the response from brokers has already been strong. Whether it’s a new‑build in Inverness or a Georgian townhouse in Edinburgh, we’re already seeing solid case volumes and expect demand to grow further in the coming months.”
