Canada vs Upper middle income: Foreign direct investment, net outflows
Foreign direct investment, net outflows over time
- Canada
- Upper middle income
How they compare
Canada currently reports 2.5% against 0.8% in Upper middle income, a difference of 1.7%.
That makes Canada's figure about 3.1 times Upper middle income's.
Across all 47 years both countries report, Canada has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 18th and Upper middle income ranks 20th of 191 countries.
Canada has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.6% | 0.0% | 1.5% | Canada |
| 1980s | 1.3% | 0.1% | 1.2% | Canada |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 0.3% | 2.0% | Canada |
| 2000s | 4.1% | 0.6% | 3.5% | Canada |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 1.0% | 2.8% | Canada |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 0.9% | 2.9% | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net outflows, Canada or Upper middle income?
- Canada, at 2.5% against 0.8% in Upper middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net outflows between Canada and Upper middle income?
- 1.7%, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Upper middle income?
- 47 years are reported by both, from 1979 to 2025.
- How do Canada and Upper middle income rank globally for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- Canada ranks 18th and Upper middle income ranks 20th of 191 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 outflows (% of GDP). 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 an 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. This series shows net outflows of investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world, and is divided by GDP.