Japan vs North America: Foreign direct investment, net outflows
Foreign direct investment, net outflows over time
- Japan
- North America
How they compare
Japan currently reports 4.9% against 1.4% in North America, a difference of 3.5%.
That makes Japan's figure about 3.4 times North America's.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was North America ahead.
Japan ranks 8th and North America ranks 8th of 191 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 3 and North America in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | North America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.4% | North America |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.1% | Japan |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 1.4% | 0.8% | North America |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 2.2% | 1.0% | North America |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 1.9% | 1.0% | Japan |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 1.5% | 2.7% | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net outflows, Japan or North America?
- Japan, at 4.9% against 1.4% in North America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net outflows between Japan and North America?
- 3.5%, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and North America?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Japan and North America rank globally for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- Japan ranks 8th and North America ranks 8th 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.