Singapore vs United Arab Emirates: Foreign direct investment, net outflows
Foreign direct investment, net outflows 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 191 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, 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 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?
- Singapore ranks 4th and United Arab Emirates ranks 5th 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.