Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per square was 1,776 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in BoP, current US$ per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 1,776 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 15.8% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 2,963 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre in 2021 and was at its lowest, 12.69 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre, in 1980.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 34th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, 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 (BoP, current US$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 41.17 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | — |
| 1971 | 35.51 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -13.7% |
| 1972 | 34.53 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 40.66 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +17.7% |
| 1974 | 70.34 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +73.0% |
| 1975 | 63.85 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -9.2% |
| 1976 | 50.48 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -20.9% |
| 1977 | 42 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -16.8% |
| 1978 | 45.67 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +8.7% |
| 1979 | 38.4 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -15.9% |
| 1980 | 12.69 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -67.0% |
| 1981 | 76.71 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +504.6% |
| 1982 | 72.5 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -5.5% |
| 1983 | 42.43 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -41.5% |
| 1984 | 46.56 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +9.8% |
| 1985 | 49.65 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +6.6% |
| 1986 | 30.56 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -38.5% |
| 1987 | 65.43 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +114.1% |
| 1988 | 74.98 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +14.6% |
| 1989 | 147.45 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +96.6% |
| 1990 | 58.29 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -60.5% |
| 1991 | 103.55 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +77.7% |
| 1992 | 92.7 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -10.5% |
| 1993 | 122.28 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +31.9% |
| 1994 | 168.44 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +37.7% |
| 1995 | 169.88 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 153.94 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -9.4% |
| 1997 | 347.41 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +125.7% |
| 1998 | 283.39 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -18.4% |
| 1999 | 407.03 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +43.6% |
| 2000 | 323.67 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -20.5% |
| 2001 | 726.38 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +124.4% |
| 2002 | 511.86 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -29.5% |
| 2003 | 650.49 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +27.1% |
| 2004 | 590.62 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -9.2% |
| 2005 | 916.88 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +55.2% |
| 2006 | 768.44 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -16.2% |
| 2007 | 1,363 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +77.4% |
| 2008 | 1,814 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +33.1% |
| 2009 | 1,713 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 1,534 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -10.5% |
| 2011 | 1,965 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +28.1% |
| 2012 | 1,907 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 1,703 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -10.7% |
| 2014 | 1,854 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +8.8% |
| 2015 | 1,893 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 1,352 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -28.6% |
| 2017 | 1,168 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -13.6% |
| 2018 | 1,179 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 1,152 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 972.81 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -15.5% |
| 2021 | 2,963 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +204.6% |
| 2022 | 1,534 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | -48.2% |
| 2023 | 1,776 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | +15.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +504.6% | 12.69 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 76.71 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre |
| 2021 | +204.6% | 972.81 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 2,963 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 46.26 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 34.53 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 70.34 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 61.9 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 12.69 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 147.45 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 190.69 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 58.29 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 407.03 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 937.84 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 323.67 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 1,814 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,571 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 1,152 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 1,965 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,812 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 972.81 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 2,963 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 31 Poland 116,433 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre compare
- 32 Saint Kitts and Nevis 114,743 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre compare
- 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
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2144 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 398.55 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2382 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per capita 384.35 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2297 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 8.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 358.68 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 1,874 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 10.5 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square in Sub-Saharan Africa was 1,776 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2,963 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre in 2021.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.69 BoP, current US$ per square kilometre in 1980.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 34th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows (bop, current us$), per square rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.