Singapore vs United Arab Emirates: Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP
Singapore
15.6%
in 2025
United Arab Emirates
14.0%
in 2024
Singapore rank
4th
United Arab Emirates rank
5th
Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP over time
- Singapore
- United Arab Emirates
How they compare
Singapore currently reports 15.6% against 14.0% in United Arab Emirates, a difference of 1.6%.
That makes Singapore's figure about 1.1 times United Arab Emirates's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Singapore ahead.
Singapore ranks 4th and United Arab Emirates ranks 5th of 189 countries.
Singapore has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Singapore | United Arab Emirates | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.0% | 1.0% | Singapore |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 0.2% | 6.2% | Singapore |
| 2000s | 11.4% | 2.2% | 9.2% | Singapore |
| 2010s | 13.5% | 2.7% | 10.8% | Singapore |
| 2020s | 12.6% | 6.7% | 5.9% | Singapore |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp, Singapore or United Arab Emirates?
- Singapore, at 15.6% against 14.0% in United Arab Emirates as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp between Singapore and United Arab Emirates?
- 1.6%, with Singapore ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Singapore and United Arab Emirates?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do Singapore and United Arab Emirates rank globally for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp?
- Singapore ranks 4th and United Arab Emirates ranks 5th 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.