Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per square was 1,766 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1970–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in BoP, current US$ per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 1,766 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 15.7% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 2,959 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre in 2021 and was at its lowest, 12.22 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre, in 1980.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 36th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, 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 (BoP, current US$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 41.06 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | — |
| 1971 | 35.42 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -13.7% |
| 1972 | 34.47 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 40.37 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +17.1% |
| 1974 | 70.26 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +74.0% |
| 1975 | 63.62 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -9.4% |
| 1976 | 50.16 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -21.2% |
| 1977 | 41.65 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -17.0% |
| 1978 | 45.36 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +8.9% |
| 1979 | 38.03 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -16.2% |
| 1980 | 12.22 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -67.9% |
| 1981 | 76.21 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +523.9% |
| 1982 | 72.01 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -5.5% |
| 1983 | 41.97 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -41.7% |
| 1984 | 46.08 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +9.8% |
| 1985 | 49.08 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +6.5% |
| 1986 | 29.86 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -39.2% |
| 1987 | 64.47 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +115.9% |
| 1988 | 73.83 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +14.5% |
| 1989 | 146.34 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +98.2% |
| 1990 | 57.29 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -60.9% |
| 1991 | 102.58 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +79.1% |
| 1992 | 92.25 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -10.1% |
| 1993 | 121.4 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +31.6% |
| 1994 | 166.99 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +37.6% |
| 1995 | 167.72 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 152.59 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -9.0% |
| 1997 | 344.9 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +126.0% |
| 1998 | 280.89 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -18.6% |
| 1999 | 404.44 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +44.0% |
| 2000 | 322.53 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -20.3% |
| 2001 | 723.35 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +124.3% |
| 2002 | 509.62 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -29.5% |
| 2003 | 647.75 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +27.1% |
| 2004 | 588.86 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -9.1% |
| 2005 | 913.12 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +55.1% |
| 2006 | 761.88 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -16.6% |
| 2007 | 1,355 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +77.8% |
| 2008 | 1,806 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +33.3% |
| 2009 | 1,705 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 1,526 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -10.5% |
| 2011 | 1,959 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +28.3% |
| 2012 | 1,881 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 1,701 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -9.6% |
| 2014 | 1,849 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +8.7% |
| 2015 | 1,889 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 1,349 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -28.6% |
| 2017 | 1,160 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -14.0% |
| 2018 | 1,166 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 1,141 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 969.48 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -15.0% |
| 2021 | 2,959 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +205.2% |
| 2022 | 1,526 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -48.4% |
| 2023 | 1,766 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +15.7% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +523.9% | 12.22 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 76.21 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre |
| 2021 | +205.2% | 969.48 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 2,959 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 46.04 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 34.47 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 70.26 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 61.21 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 12.22 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 146.34 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 189.11 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 57.29 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 404.44 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 933.27 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 322.53 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 1,806 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,562 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 1,141 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 1,959 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,805 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 969.48 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 2,959 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 33 Costa Rica 103,789 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre compare
- 34 Dominican Republic 98,562 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre compare
- 35 Spain 93,981 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre compare
- 36 Naoero 72,314 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre compare
- 37 Slovenia 71,898 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre compare
- 38 Lebanon 64,070 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre compare
- 39 Dominica 64,021 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre compare
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 4.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.147 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 245.62 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 7.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 0.8257 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 1,380 current US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 8.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per capita 1,655 current US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9901 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 3.8 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 1,766 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 2,959 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre in 2021.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.22 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre in 1980.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 36th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.