Germany vs United States: Foreign direct investment, net
Foreign direct investment, net over time
- Germany
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 21.71 billion BoP, current US$ against 12.94 billion BoP, current US$ in Germany, a difference of 8.77 billion BoP, current US$.
That makes United States's figure about 1.7 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 47 shared years of data; in 1971 it was United States ahead.
Germany ranks 10th and United States ranks 8th of 196 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 4 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.07 billion BoP, current US$ | 8.19 billion BoP, current US$ | 7.11 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 1980s | 5.83 billion BoP, current US$ | -14.27 billion BoP, current US$ | 20.10 billion BoP, current US$ | Germany |
| 1990s | 37.42 billion BoP, current US$ | -38.13 billion BoP, current US$ | 75.55 billion BoP, current US$ | Germany |
| 2000s | 12.23 billion BoP, current US$ | 34.41 billion BoP, current US$ | 22.18 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 2010s | 52.09 billion BoP, current US$ | -27.57 billion BoP, current US$ | 79.66 billion BoP, current US$ | Germany |
| 2020s | 33.58 billion BoP, current US$ | 2.90 billion BoP, current US$ | 30.69 billion BoP, current US$ | Germany |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net, Germany or United States?
- United States, at 21.71 billion BoP, current US$ against 12.94 billion BoP, current US$ in Germany as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net between Germany and United States?
- 8.77 billion BoP, current US$, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United States?
- 47 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
- How do Germany and United States rank globally for foreign direct investment, net?
- Germany ranks 10th and United States ranks 8th of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Foreign direct investment, net (BoP, current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Foreign direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the voting power is evidence of a direct investment relationship. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.