India and Vietnam lead the region’s real estate transparency gains.
Two-thirds of global real estate markets improved their transparency over the past two years, with Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) emerging as the strongest drivers of progress, according to JLL’s 14th Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI).
JLL said rapid digitisation, stronger corporate governance and government-led reforms are helping markets such as India, Vietnam and South Korea narrow the transparency gap with established global hubs.
India recorded the strongest improvement globally, supported by expanded digital infrastructure, better market data and the growth of its REIT market. Vietnam, South Korea, Australia and Thailand also recorded major gains.
“Transparency is no longer just a benchmark for market maturity: it’s a prerequisite for global capital deployment,” said Richard Bloxam, CEO of Capital Markets at JLL. He said investors increasingly prioritise digital infrastructure, reliable data disclosure and regulatory clarity.
JLL said cross-border investment into APAC has rebounded sharply, with direct transaction volumes in India and Vietnam reaching all-time highs. In MENA, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar were among the world’s top improvers, supported by initiatives including Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the Dubai Land Department’s REST programme.
The report also highlights the growing importance of alternative real estate. Data centres, manufacturing and infrastructure now account for 20% of global direct transaction volumes, double their share a decade ago. Investors are increasingly seeking transparency around operating costs, energy capacity and power resilience.
Meanwhile, transaction volumes in the 13 “Highly Transparent” markets rose 64% over two years, 20 percentage points faster than the rest of the world. These markets represent 56% of global income-producing real estate and more than 80% of global direct investment.
“As transparency in an alternative sector improves, that’s often a leading indicator of growing institutionalisation and investment,” said Dominic Silman, chief economist for LaSalle.
JLL said the growing participation of private wealth, retail and pension capital is also increasing demand for standardised, higher-frequency reporting and greater valuation transparency.