Iceland vs South Africa: Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP
Iceland
-0.5%
in 2025
South Africa
-0.5%
in 2025
Iceland rank
181st
South Africa rank
180th
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP over time
- Iceland
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports -0.5% against -0.5% in Iceland, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 20 times across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was South Africa ahead.
Iceland ranks 181st and South Africa ranks 180th of 198 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.4% | 0.4% | Iceland |
| 1980s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | Iceland |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% | Iceland |
| 2000s | 9.1% | 1.8% | 7.4% | Iceland |
| 2010s | -0.8% | 1.1% | 1.9% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 2.3% | 0.4% | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp, Iceland or South Africa?
- South Africa, at -0.5% against -0.5% in Iceland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp between Iceland and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and South Africa?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Iceland and South Africa rank globally for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp?
- Iceland ranks 181st and South Africa ranks 180th of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- IMF International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments; World Bank International Debt Statistics and GDP estimates; and OECD GDP estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Net inflows of foreign direct investment from foreign investors to the reporting economy.