Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Spain
Spain: Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP was 1.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Spain, 1970–2025
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 Spain is 1.5%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 40.6% on the previous year and down 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Spain peaked at 6.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1974.
Spain ranks 124th of 198 countries 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, net inflows as share of GDP in Spain, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.5% | — |
| 1971 | 0.4% | -20.0% |
| 1972 | 0.5% | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 0.5% | +9.4% |
| 1974 | 0.4% | -25.8% |
| 1975 | 0.6% | +61.6% |
| 1976 | 0.4% | -32.2% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | +13.8% |
| 1978 | 0.7% | +59.9% |
| 1979 | 0.7% | -11.3% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | -1.5% |
| 1981 | 0.8% | +31.2% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | +8.1% |
| 1983 | 0.9% | +4.3% |
| 1984 | 1.0% | +8.5% |
| 1985 | 1.1% | +5.7% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | +26.1% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 1.9% | +30.2% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | +8.9% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | +28.2% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | -16.9% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 2.1% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | -19.7% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | -18.5% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | +13.2% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 2.5% | +58.8% |
| 1999 | 3.1% | +22.9% |
| 2000 | 6.8% | +118.1% |
| 2001 | 4.6% | -32.1% |
| 2002 | 5.5% | +20.0% |
| 2003 | 3.4% | -38.4% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | -29.8% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +14.7% |
| 2007 | 4.8% | +69.4% |
| 2008 | 4.4% | -8.4% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -88.4% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | +398.5% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -30.9% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -16.8% |
| 2013 | 3.5% | +139.3% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | -33.1% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -14.9% |
| 2016 | 3.6% | +83.5% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | -29.8% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | +75.9% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | -51.6% |
| 2020 | 2.9% | +35.2% |
| 2021 | 4.4% | +51.4% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -37.7% |
| 2024 | 2.5% | -14.5% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -40.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 0.6% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.3% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 0.5% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 1.4% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 1.5% | 4.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More economy & growth data for Spain
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.77 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.62 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 3.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1419 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 5,483 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 3.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 0.1365 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 5,272 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 9.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Spain?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Spain was 1.5% in 2025, 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1974.
- How does Spain rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp?
- Spain ranks 124th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Spain 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Net inflows of foreign direct investment from foreign investors to the reporting economy.