Japan vs Malaysia: Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP
Japan
4.9%
in 2025
Malaysia
3.1%
in 2024
Japan rank
8th
Malaysia rank
11th
Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP over time
- Japan
- Malaysia
How they compare
Japan currently reports 4.9% against 3.1% in Malaysia, a difference of 1.8%.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.6 times Malaysia's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1974 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 8th and Malaysia ranks 11th of 189 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 2 and Malaysia in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | Japan |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.2% | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 1.8% | 1.2% | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 3.1% | 1.9% | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 3.9% | 1.0% | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 4.1% | 2.5% | 1.6% | 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, Japan or Malaysia?
- Japan, at 4.9% against 3.1% in Malaysia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp between Japan and Malaysia?
- 1.8%, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Malaysia?
- 51 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2024.
- How do Japan and Malaysia rank globally for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp?
- Japan ranks 8th and Malaysia ranks 11th 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.