Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP was 0.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1970–2024
Source: IMF International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments; World Bank International Debt Statistics and GDP estimates; and OECD GDP estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of is 0.3%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 33.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 2.7% in 2002 and was at its lowest, -0.3%, in 1990.
That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 167th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.3% | — |
| 1971 | 0.5% | +86.1% |
| 1972 | 0.5% | +12.0% |
| 1973 | 2.1% | +290.0% |
| 1974 | 0.7% | -66.2% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | +36.4% |
| 1976 | -0.1% | -115.6% |
| 1977 | 0.4% | -387.3% |
| 1978 | 1.2% | +171.8% |
| 1979 | 0.2% | -84.4% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -52.8% |
| 1981 | 0.0% | -67.3% |
| 1982 | -0.1% | -484.8% |
| 1983 | -0.1% | -53.5% |
| 1984 | 0.0% | -152.4% |
| 1985 | -0.0% | -180.5% |
| 1986 | -0.1% | +154.0% |
| 1987 | -0.2% | +326.9% |
| 1988 | 0.0% | -121.4% |
| 1989 | -0.0% | -132.8% |
| 1990 | -0.3% | +1699.3% |
| 1991 | 0.0% | -105.9% |
| 1992 | 0.0% | -58.6% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | +4487.9% |
| 1994 | 0.0% | -99.1% |
| 1995 | 0.0% | +533.3% |
| 1996 | 0.0% | +22.5% |
| 1997 | 0.0% | +115.4% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | -53.2% |
| 1999 | 0.0% | +41.3% |
| 2000 | 0.0% | +15.8% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | +803.9% |
| 2002 | 2.7% | +750.6% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -30.8% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | -14.6% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | -20.6% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -32.1% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -33.9% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | -15.5% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +47.8% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | -9.3% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -15.8% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -25.3% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | +10.0% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | +40.6% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +39.6% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -41.4% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -24.8% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | +10.2% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | -26.8% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 0.3% | -12.4% |
| 2024 | 0.3% | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.7% | -0.1% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.0% | -0.2% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0% | -0.3% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.0% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More economy & growth data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.48 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -10.46 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.5082 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 1,994 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate -7.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3449 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 1,353 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 51.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 256,111 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 0.3% in 2024, according to IMF International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments; World Bank International Debt Statistics and GDP estimates; and OECD GDP estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7% in 2002.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.3% in 1990.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 167th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of data come from?
- The figures come from IMF International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments; World Bank International Debt Statistics and GDP estimates; and OECD GDP estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Net inflows of foreign direct investment from foreign investors to the reporting economy.