Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP was 1.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 1.9% for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 646.1% on the previous year and up 24.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 12.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, -0.9%, in 2018.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 106th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.1% | — |
| 1971 | 1.2% | +5.0% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | -40.6% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | +99.0% |
| 1974 | 2.1% | +50.0% |
| 1975 | 1.4% | -35.3% |
| 1976 | 1.3% | -5.9% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | +30.2% |
| 1978 | 1.1% | -33.0% |
| 1979 | 1.5% | +30.7% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | +21.6% |
| 1981 | 1.1% | -39.3% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 1.1% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | -0.1% | -107.1% |
| 1985 | 1.1% | -1587.2% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | +27.3% |
| 1987 | 1.8% | +23.1% |
| 1988 | 2.9% | +65.5% |
| 1989 | 2.9% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 3.8% | +29.4% |
| 1991 | 2.0% | -46.2% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | -4.1% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | -4.9% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | -7.5% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | +25.9% |
| 1996 | 2.3% | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 3.3% | +43.8% |
| 1998 | 6.6% | +102.2% |
| 1999 | 7.7% | +16.0% |
| 2000 | 9.8% | +28.0% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | -65.5% |
| 2002 | 5.0% | +48.0% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | -65.1% |
| 2004 | 3.6% | +105.1% |
| 2005 | 9.9% | +176.4% |
| 2006 | 7.5% | -24.4% |
| 2007 | 6.7% | -9.9% |
| 2008 | 8.6% | +27.5% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | -93.0% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | +346.4% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -62.2% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | +70.3% |
| 2013 | 1.9% | +13.3% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | -19.4% |
| 2016 | 12.0% | +679.7% |
| 2017 | 4.6% | -61.3% |
| 2018 | -0.9% | -118.6% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | -179.6% |
| 2020 | 5.8% | +738.5% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | -44.4% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | -9.0% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | -86.2% |
| 2024 | -0.4% | -187.0% |
| 2025 | 1.9% | -646.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.4% | 0.7% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.5% | -0.1% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.3% | 1.7% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.7% | 0.6% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.7% | -0.9% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | -0.4% | 5.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More economy & growth data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.14 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 39,565 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 8.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.01 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 58,381 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 5.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7697 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 44,339 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 2.02 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 1.9% 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 12.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.9% in 2018.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 106th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.