China vs Middle income: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$)
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) over time
- China
- Middle income
How they compare
Middle income currently reports 473.65 billion BoP, current US$ against 79.98 billion BoP, current US$ in China, a difference of 393.67 billion BoP, current US$.
That makes Middle income's figure about 5.9 times China's.
Across all 47 years both countries report, Middle income has been ahead every year.
China ranks 5th and Middle income ranks 8th of 204 countries.
Middle income has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 80,000 BoP, current US$ | 7.05 billion BoP, current US$ | 7.05 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
| 1980s | 1.51 billion BoP, current US$ | 11.68 billion BoP, current US$ | 10.17 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
| 1990s | 28.84 billion BoP, current US$ | 85.71 billion BoP, current US$ | 56.87 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
| 2000s | 95.53 billion BoP, current US$ | 269.41 billion BoP, current US$ | 173.88 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
| 2010s | 232.99 billion BoP, current US$ | 574.45 billion BoP, current US$ | 341.46 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
| 2020s | 160.22 billion BoP, current US$ | 516.10 billion BoP, current US$ | 355.88 billion BoP, current US$ | Middle income |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net inflows, China or Middle income?
- Middle income, at 473.65 billion BoP, current US$ against 79.98 billion BoP, current US$ in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net inflows between China and Middle income?
- 393.67 billion BoP, current US$, with Middle income ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Middle income?
- 47 years are reported by both, from 1979 to 2025.
- How do China and Middle income rank globally for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- China ranks 5th and Middle income ranks 8th of 204 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D, published as Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$). 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.