Ireland vs World: Foreign direct investment, net outflows
Foreign direct investment, net outflows over time
- Ireland
- World
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 11.0% against 1.4% in World, a difference of 9.6%.
That makes Ireland's figure about 7.9 times World's.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 38 shared years of data; in 1987 it was World ahead.
Ireland ranks 6th and World ranks 9th of 191 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 4 and World in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.1% | 1.1% | 1.0% | Ireland |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 0.0% | Ireland |
| 2000s | 15.6% | 3.2% | 12.4% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 16.6% | 2.4% | 14.2% | Ireland |
| 2020s | -1.6% | 1.7% | 3.2% | World |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net outflows, Ireland or World?
- Ireland, at 11.0% against 1.4% in World as of 2024.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net outflows between Ireland and World?
- 9.6%, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and World?
- 38 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2024.
- How do Ireland and World rank globally for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- Ireland ranks 6th and World ranks 9th 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.