Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Palau
Palau: Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP was 21.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Palau, 1989–2024
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
Palau recorded 21.5% for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in 2024.
That represents a change of down 25.7% on the previous year and up 32.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Palau peaked at 30.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, -0.9%, in 2001.
That places Palau 8th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
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 Palau, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1.2% | — |
| 1990 | 1.0% | -12.2% |
| 1991 | 0.9% | -8.3% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | -0.2% | -118.2% |
| 2000 | 2.1% | -1324.5% |
| 2001 | -0.9% | -142.3% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | -230.1% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | +154.3% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | +38.4% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -48.0% |
| 2006 | 17.4% | +715.5% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | -87.2% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | -36.3% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 4.3% | +192.8% |
| 2012 | 10.1% | +136.0% |
| 2013 | 8.0% | -20.8% |
| 2014 | 16.2% | +103.7% |
| 2015 | 12.2% | -24.8% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | +74.6% |
| 2017 | 16.5% | -22.8% |
| 2018 | 17.6% | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 16.1% | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 17.0% | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 13.6% | -20.1% |
| 2022 | 30.1% | +121.0% |
| 2023 | 28.9% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 21.5% | -25.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | -0.2% | 1.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | -0.9% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 1.5% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.2% | 13.6% | 30.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Palau
- 5 Hong Kong, China 30.8% compare
- 6 Cyprus 27.1% compare
- 7 Singapore 26.3% compare
- 9 Mozambique 15.4% compare
- 10 Namibia 14.2% compare
- 11 Timor-Leste 13.3% compare
More economy & growth data for Palau
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.69 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gdp worldbank constant usd, annual growth rate 6.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Domestic currency per Special drawing rights (End-of-period (EoP)) 1.37 (2025)
- Domestic currency per US dollar (End-of-period (EoP)) 1 (2025)
- US dollar per domestic currency (End-of-period (EoP)) 1 (2025)
- Special drawing rights per domestic currency (End-of-period (EoP)) 0.7302 (2025)
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP -40.4% (2024)
- Gdp worldbank constant usd, per unit of GDP 0.7995 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing value added to gdp, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Palau?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Palau was 21.5% 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 Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 30.1% in 2022.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.9% in 2001.
- How does Palau rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp?
- Palau ranks 8th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Palau 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.