Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Malaysia
Malaysia: Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP was 3.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Malaysia, 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
In 2024, foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Malaysia stood at 3.7%.
That represents a change of up 86.5% on the previous year and up 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Malaysia peaked at 8.8% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2009.
That places Malaysia 62nd out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.4% | — |
| 1971 | 2.4% | -3.1% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | -4.1% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 6.0% | +167.8% |
| 1975 | 3.8% | -37.3% |
| 1976 | 3.5% | -8.5% |
| 1977 | 3.1% | -10.5% |
| 1978 | 3.1% | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 2.7% | -11.6% |
| 1980 | 3.8% | +41.1% |
| 1981 | 5.1% | +32.6% |
| 1982 | 5.2% | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 4.2% | -20.3% |
| 1984 | 2.3% | -43.4% |
| 1985 | 2.2% | -5.2% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | -20.8% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | -25.5% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | +55.3% |
| 1989 | 4.3% | +110.5% |
| 1990 | 5.3% | +23.4% |
| 1991 | 8.1% | +53.6% |
| 1992 | 8.8% | +7.7% |
| 1993 | 7.5% | -14.6% |
| 1994 | 5.8% | -22.1% |
| 1995 | 4.7% | -19.2% |
| 1996 | 5.0% | +6.9% |
| 1997 | 5.1% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | -41.6% |
| 1999 | 4.9% | +64.2% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | -17.9% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -85.2% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | +430.3% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -7.7% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | +20.1% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | -22.0% |
| 2006 | 4.7% | +72.9% |
| 2007 | 4.7% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | -30.0% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -98.3% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | +7429.5% |
| 2011 | 5.1% | +18.9% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -44.2% |
| 2013 | 3.5% | +23.5% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | -10.1% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 4.5% | +36.7% |
| 2017 | 2.9% | -34.3% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | -21.2% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +8.3% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | -52.0% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | +350.3% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -32.0% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | -46.3% |
| 2024 | 3.7% | +86.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.1% | 2.2% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 1.3% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.8% | 3.0% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 0.1% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.4% | 2.3% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 1.2% | 5.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 59 Rwanda 3.8% compare
- 60 Bulgaria 3.7% compare
- 61 Turkmenistan 3.7% compare
- 63 Côte d'Ivoire 3.6% compare
- 64 North Macedonia 3.5% compare
- 65 Honduras 3.5% compare
More economy & growth data for Malaysia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.04 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.97 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.221 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 2,900 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.9467 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 12,425 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2165 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 2,842 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 11,100 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 7.88 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Malaysia?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Malaysia was 3.7% 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 1992.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2009.
- How does Malaysia rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp?
- Malaysia ranks 62nd out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.