The new research, which compared data on 25 major cities worldwide, reveals that Dubai is the fastest growing office market in the world on a per capita basis, with the total area of occupied Grade A quality office space increasing by 2.8 sq ft per capita since the beginning of 2008.

While other markets have grown much more in absolute numbers, these are far larger mega cities, hence Dubai score highest in terms of net absorption, the change in occupied office space per capita.

International comparisons are notoriously difficult, given the different geographical coverage and definitions adopted in different real estate markets globally. The total occupied stock of offices in those areas of Dubai monitored by Jones Lang LaSalle is estimated to have increased by around 42 percent since January 2008. This places Dubai in fifth place globally when assessed against the pace of growth of other office markets monitored by Jones Lang LaSalle.

The fastest growing cities globally on this measure have been the mega cities of Delhi, 61 percent, Mumbai, 58 percent, Beijing 56 percent, and Bangalore, 43 percent, which have all experienced strong net absorption as their stock of international quality office space has expanded rapidly from a previous low base.

But outside of the BRIC economies, Dubai has been the fastest growing city globally in percentage terms, calculated as the change in occupied office stock between January 2008 and July 2010, divided by the total occupied stock in January 2008.

"Demand for office space in Dubai has bounced back since late last year, as the market recovers from the downsizing experienced in early 2009. The level of occupied office stock increased again over the first half of 2010, having declined during the previous year," said Blair Hagkull, chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle MENA.

"This is reflected in a significant increase in leasing business being negotiated by Jones Lang LaSalle. "During the past six months, we have negotiated new leases on behalf of a range of major multinational firms (MNC's) including Deloitte's, Royal Bank of Scotland, MasterCard, and Honeywell. Most of these deals have involved an expansion in the amount of space occupied as tenants respond to improving business conditions and Dubai's accepted position as the leading office center in the MENA region, the report says."

"Despite the continued demand for office space in Dubai over the last few years, the market has moved in the favor of tenants, with the amount of vacant space increasing and average rentals declining across the market. This is creating opportunities for tenants to upgrade to better quality office space and take advantage of the more competitive leasing terms on offer as a result of the additional choice available," the report adds.