According to data from global real estate group Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), in 2016, Chinese buyers invested a total of $33 billion in overseas residential, commercial, and industrial real estate, an increase of 53% from the previous year. During this year, Chinese buyers actively purchased office buildings, hotels, and residential land.
At the end of January, Cushman & Wakefield also released the "2016 Q4 China Overseas Investment Market" report. The report shows that the total amount of Chinese overseas commercial real estate investment reached a new high in 2016, totaling $38.3 billion, an increase of 49% compared to 2015.
Although the two research reports differ slightly in total investment due to different statistical methods, they both consistently indicate an approximate 50% growth in overseas real estate investment. Additionally, the data on hot investment countries and popular property types also showed a high degree of consistency.
Regarding the future investment trends of Chinese individuals, Morgan Stanley stated that in the coming years, Chinese investors will continue to be a major investment group in the global real estate market. "However, given the recent tightening of China's capital outflow controls, the growth of Chinese overseas real estate investment in 2017 may face some challenges."
Nevertheless, a survey by the Hurun Report found that for Chinese individuals with a net worth of $1.5 million or more, real estate is a popular form of overseas investment. Among this group, 60% plan to invest in real estate in the next three years, indicating there are 800,000 potential buyers.