Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Eastern Africa

Eastern Africa: Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows was 19,256 in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
19,256
Change on year
up 24.1%
Rank
26th
of 36 groups
All-time high
19,256
in 2024
All-time low
128.5
in 1991
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Eastern Africa, 1990–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k1990200720241990: 389.31991: 128.51992: 187.21993: 532.11994: 359.81995: 680.41996: 718.41997: 1.2k1998: 1.7k1999: 1.6k2000: 2.2k2001: 1.6k2002: 1.7k2003: 2.0k2004: 2.3k2005: 2.5k2006: 3.1k2007: 6.6k2008: 7.9k2009: 8.4k2010: 11.7k2011: 13.1k2012: 16.4k2013: 16.7k2014: 15.4k2015: 14.2k2016: 12.9k2017: 13.1k2018: 12.0k2019: 11.3k2020: 11.5k2021: 16.4k2022: 15.3k2023: 15.5k2024: 19.3k

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

Eastern Africa recorded 19,256 for foreign direct investment (fdi) inflows in 2024. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

The figure is up 24.1% on the previous year and up 24.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, foreign direct investment (fdi) inflows in Eastern Africa peaked at 19,256 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 128.5, in 1991.

Eastern Africa ranks 26th of 36 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Eastern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows (millions of United States dollars) in Eastern Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1990 389.29
1991 128.5 -67.0%
1992 187.17 +45.7%
1993 532.05 +184.3%
1994 359.8 -32.4%
1995 680.36 +89.1%
1996 718.38 +5.6%
1997 1,243 +73.0%
1998 1,748 +40.7%
1999 1,557 -10.9%
2000 2,198 +41.2%
2001 1,585 -27.9%
2002 1,734 +9.5%
2003 2,017 +16.3%
2004 2,334 +15.7%
2005 2,544 +9.0%
2006 3,101 +21.9%
2007 6,551 +111.3%
2008 7,907 +20.7%
2009 8,397 +6.2%
2010 11,670 +39.0%
2011 13,148 +12.7%
2012 16,432 +25.0%
2013 16,705 +1.7%
2014 15,424 -7.7%
2015 14,162 -8.2%
2016 12,946 -8.6%
2017 13,149 +1.6%
2018 11,992 -8.8%
2019 11,261 -6.1%
2020 11,497 +2.1%
2021 16,448 +43.1%
2022 15,308 -6.9%
2023 15,522 +1.4%
2024 19,256 +24.1%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Eastern Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1993 +184.3% 187.17 532.05

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 754.3 128.5 1,748 10
2000s 3,837 1,585 8,397 10
2010s 13,689 11,261 16,705 10
2020s 15,606 11,497 19,256 5

Countries ranked near Eastern Africa

  1. 23 Israel 16,808 compare
  2. 24 Saudi Arabia 15,738 compare
  3. 25 Republic of Korea 15,226 compare
  4. 25 South Korea 15,226 compare
  5. 27 Colombia 14,234 compare
  6. 28 Portugal 14,059 compare
  7. 29 Japan 13,357 compare

See the full ranking of 258 places →

More economy & growth data for Eastern Africa

All data for Eastern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is foreign direct investment (fdi) inflows in Eastern Africa?
Foreign direct investment (fdi) inflows in Eastern Africa was 19,256 in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest foreign direct investment (fdi) inflows recorded in Eastern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 19,256 in 2024.
What is the lowest foreign direct investment (fdi) inflows recorded in Eastern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 128.5 in 1991.
How does Eastern Africa rank for foreign direct investment (fdi) inflows?
Eastern Africa ranks 26th out of 36 groups with data for 2024.
Is foreign direct investment (fdi) inflows rising or falling in Eastern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 24.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Eastern Africa data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows (millions of United States dollars). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Eastern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/foreign-direct-investment-fdi-inflows-millions-of-united-states-dollars/eastern-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/foreign-direct-investment-fdi-inflows-millions-of-united-states-dollars/eastern-africa/">Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Eastern Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows (millions of United States dollars)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
258 places, 8,418 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed