China (People’s Republic of) vs Germany: Foreign direct investment, net inflows
Foreign direct investment, net inflows over time
- China (People’s Republic of)
- Germany
How they compare
Germany currently reports 95.19 billion BoP, current US$ against 79.98 billion BoP, current US$ in China (People’s Republic of), a difference of 15.21 billion BoP, current US$.
That makes Germany's figure about 1.2 times China (People’s Republic of)'s.
The two have swapped places 12 times across 47 shared years of data; in 1979 it was Germany ahead.
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 5th and Germany ranks 4th of 201 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China (People’s Republic of) averaged higher in 5 and Germany in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China (People’s Republic of) | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 80,000 BoP, current US$ | 1.73 billion BoP, current US$ | 1.73 billion BoP, current US$ | Germany |
| 1980s | 1.51 billion BoP, current US$ | 846.25 million BoP, current US$ | 661.85 million BoP, current US$ | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 1990s | 28.84 billion BoP, current US$ | 15.42 billion BoP, current US$ | 13.43 billion BoP, current US$ | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 2000s | 95.53 billion BoP, current US$ | 68.70 billion BoP, current US$ | 26.83 billion BoP, current US$ | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 2010s | 232.99 billion BoP, current US$ | 80.06 billion BoP, current US$ | 152.92 billion BoP, current US$ | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 2020s | 160.22 billion BoP, current US$ | 104.95 billion BoP, current US$ | 55.28 billion BoP, current US$ | China (People’s Republic of) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net inflows, China (People’s Republic of) or Germany?
- Germany, at 95.19 billion BoP, current US$ against 79.98 billion BoP, current US$ in China (People’s Republic of) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net inflows between China (People’s Republic of) and Germany?
- 15.21 billion BoP, current US$, with Germany ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China (People’s Republic of) and Germany?
- 47 years are reported by both, from 1979 to 2025.
- How do China (People’s Republic of) and Germany rank globally for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- China (People’s Republic of) ranks 5th and Germany ranks 4th of 201 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D, published as Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in the reporting economy. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, and other capital. 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 ordinary shares of voting stock is the criterion for determining the existence of a direct investment relationship. Data are in current U.S. dollars.