Ireland vs Japan: Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP
Ireland
11.0%
in 2024
Japan
4.9%
in 2025
Ireland rank
6th
Japan rank
8th
Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP over time
- Ireland
- Japan
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 11.0% against 4.9% in Japan, a difference of 6.1%.
That makes Ireland's figure about 2.2 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 38 shared years of data; in 1987 it was Japan ahead.
Ireland ranks 6th and Japan ranks 8th of 189 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 4 and Japan in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.1% | 1.1% | 0.9% | Ireland |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 0.6% | 1.0% | Ireland |
| 2000s | 15.6% | 1.1% | 14.5% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 16.6% | 2.9% | 13.7% | Ireland |
| 2020s | -1.6% | 4.1% | 5.6% | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp, Ireland or Japan?
- Ireland, at 11.0% against 4.9% in Japan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp between Ireland and Japan?
- 6.1%, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and Japan?
- 38 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2024.
- How do Ireland and Japan rank globally for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp?
- Ireland ranks 6th and Japan ranks 8th of 189 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Foreign direct investment, net outflows 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 outflows of foreign direct investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world.