Foreign Direct Investment Statistics: Data, Analysis and Forecasts

FDI in 2023

April 2024 update:

Global FDI flows dropped by 7% in 2023, to USD 1 364 billion, continuing on a declining trend and remaining below pre-pandemic levels for the second consecutive year.

Downswings were recorded in 2023 for more than two-thirds of OECD economies and other countries, in particular the People’s Republic of China (hereafter ‘China), who received record-low FDI flows in a general context of ongoing geopolitical tensions and high interest rates.
Overall, FDI flows in non-OECD G20 economies dropped by 46% in 2023.
Despite this general downward trend, the United States, Brazil and Canada were the top three FDI destinations worldwide in 2023.

OECD equity flows remained below any level recorded since 2005, partly reflecting a slowdown in new investment activity.
Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) activity continued on a downward trend, hitting a ten-year record low in 2023, as the overall economic and geopolitical environment kept deteriorating.
In general, greenfield investment activity stalled in 2023, yet trends diverged between advanced economies (AEs) and emerging and developing economies (EMDEs). Capital expenditures and the number of announced projects dropped by around 20% in advanced economies, while they were up by 21% and 9% in EMDEs, respectively.

Global FDI flows declined in 2023

30/04/2024 - In 2023, global FDI flows dropped by 7%, to USD 1 364 billion, maintaining their downward trajectory and remaining below pre-pandemic levels for the second year in a row.[1] In 2023, FDI inflows decreased in more than two-thirds of OECD economies; nevertheless, significant drops in other economies also played a role in the total downturn.

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[1] _{^{By definition, inward and outward FDI worldwide should be equal but, in practice, there are statistical discrepancies between inward and outward FDI. Unless otherwise specified, references to ‘global FDI flows’ refer to the average of these two figures.}}

In focus Trends, investor types and drivers of renewables energy FDI, OECD Working Papers on International Investment, Polina Knutsson and Perla Ibarlucea Flores, 2022 Divestments by MNEs: What do we know about why they happen?, Maria Borga and Monika Sztajerowska, 2018 Trade, FDI and global value chains International trade and FDI are the main defining features and key drivers of global value chains. For the first time ever, these statistical notes for OECD countries provide evidence on the role played by investment in global value chains. Download the country notes	‌‌	FDI regulatory restrictiveness index The FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index (FDI Index) measures statutory restrictions on foreign direct investment in 58 countries, including all OECD and G20 countries, and covers 22 sectors. Access the FDI index

FDI statistics database Access the data on OECD.Stat (categorised under "Globalisation") FDI financial flows main aggregates \| by partner country \| by industry FDI income main aggregates \| by partner country \| by industry FDI positions main aggregates \| by partner country \| by industry Access metadata underlying FDI statistics by partner country and by industry for OECD countries The new FDI statistics database covering FDI statistics from 2014 onwards went online in March 2015. Full list of frequently requested data found on the FDI statistics database Content and structure of the FDI statistics database according to BMD4 Access data prior to 2014		OECD benchmark definition (BMD4) The FDI statistics database uses data compiled with "BMD4"- The 4^th edition of the OECD Benchmark definition of FDI (BMD4) provides operational guidelines on how foreign direct investment activity should be measured and sets the world standard for collecting direct investment statistics. How BMD4 impacts our compilation of FDI statistics Brochure on the major changes introduced by BMD4 Note on the FDI statistics database according to BMD4 Explanatory notes on OECD FDI statistics Glossary of FDI terms
Data collection calendar Aggregate FDI statistics are updated quarterly, four months after the end of the reference quarter and revisions to earlier periods. FDI aggregates for Q1: last week of July FDI aggregates for Q2: last week of October FDI aggregates for Q3: last week of January FDI aggregates for Q4: last week of April Datasets: FDI aggregates summary \| FDI positions aggregates \| FDI flows aggregates \| FDI income aggregates Detailed FDI statistics by partner country and by industry are updated annually, in the second half of December of the year after the reference year and incorporate revisions to earlier periods. Minor updates are released in the last weeks of January, March, and June to reflect late reporters and revisions reported by selected countries. Datasets: FDI statistics by partner country and by industry summary \| FDI flows by partner country \| FDI flows by industry \| FDI positions by partner country \| FDI positions by industry \| FDI income by partner country \| FDI income by industry \| FDI by partner country and by industry -BMD4 and historic BMD3 series		Documents and links Trends, investor types and drivers of renewables energy FDI, OECD Working Papers on International Investment, 2022 Divestments by MNEs: What do we know about why they happen?, 2021 Drivers of divestment decisions in multinational enterprises, 2020 The determinants of Foreign Direct Investment - Do statutory restrictions matter?, 2019 The digital economy, multinational enterprises and international investment policy, 2018 Towards an international framework for investment facilitation, 2018 Examen des statistiques d'investissements directs internationaux au Maroc, 2018

Please find here (link to excel tables) the latest official FDI statistics for Q1 2022 as published by official national sources by the end of June 2022. Data for Q2 2022 will be published separately by national authorities by the end of September 2022, and released at the end of October 2022 in the OECD FDI database.