Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Foreign direct investment, net inflows was 6.95 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2025
Source: 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. Measured in BoP, current US$.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 6.95 billion BoP, current US$ for foreign direct investment, net inflows in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 84.0% on the previous year and down 84.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 70.83 billion BoP, current US$ in 2021 and was at its lowest, 255.53 million BoP, current US$, in 1980.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 36th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | BoP, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 829.17 million BoP, current US$ | — |
| 1971 | 715.17 million BoP, current US$ | -13.7% |
| 1972 | 695.55 million BoP, current US$ | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 818.97 million BoP, current US$ | +17.7% |
| 1974 | 1.42 billion BoP, current US$ | +73.0% |
| 1975 | 1.29 billion BoP, current US$ | -9.2% |
| 1976 | 1.02 billion BoP, current US$ | -20.9% |
| 1977 | 845.89 million BoP, current US$ | -16.8% |
| 1978 | 919.84 million BoP, current US$ | +8.7% |
| 1979 | 773.36 million BoP, current US$ | -15.9% |
| 1980 | 255.53 million BoP, current US$ | -67.0% |
| 1981 | 1.55 billion BoP, current US$ | +504.6% |
| 1982 | 1.46 billion BoP, current US$ | -5.5% |
| 1983 | 854.46 million BoP, current US$ | -41.5% |
| 1984 | 937.81 million BoP, current US$ | +9.8% |
| 1985 | 1.00 billion BoP, current US$ | +6.6% |
| 1986 | 615.48 million BoP, current US$ | -38.5% |
| 1987 | 1.32 billion BoP, current US$ | +114.1% |
| 1988 | 1.51 billion BoP, current US$ | +14.6% |
| 1989 | 2.97 billion BoP, current US$ | +96.6% |
| 1990 | 1.17 billion BoP, current US$ | -60.5% |
| 1991 | 2.09 billion BoP, current US$ | +77.7% |
| 1992 | 1.87 billion BoP, current US$ | -10.5% |
| 1993 | 2.60 billion BoP, current US$ | +39.1% |
| 1994 | 3.58 billion BoP, current US$ | +37.7% |
| 1995 | 3.61 billion BoP, current US$ | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 3.27 billion BoP, current US$ | -9.4% |
| 1997 | 7.38 billion BoP, current US$ | +125.7% |
| 1998 | 6.02 billion BoP, current US$ | -18.4% |
| 1999 | 8.65 billion BoP, current US$ | +43.6% |
| 2000 | 6.88 billion BoP, current US$ | -20.5% |
| 2001 | 15.43 billion BoP, current US$ | +124.4% |
| 2002 | 10.87 billion BoP, current US$ | -29.5% |
| 2003 | 13.82 billion BoP, current US$ | +27.1% |
| 2004 | 12.63 billion BoP, current US$ | -8.6% |
| 2005 | 19.61 billion BoP, current US$ | +55.2% |
| 2006 | 16.44 billion BoP, current US$ | -16.2% |
| 2007 | 29.15 billion BoP, current US$ | +77.4% |
| 2008 | 38.80 billion BoP, current US$ | +33.1% |
| 2009 | 36.64 billion BoP, current US$ | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 32.81 billion BoP, current US$ | -10.5% |
| 2011 | 42.04 billion BoP, current US$ | +28.1% |
| 2012 | 45.55 billion BoP, current US$ | +8.3% |
| 2013 | 40.69 billion BoP, current US$ | -10.7% |
| 2014 | 44.29 billion BoP, current US$ | +8.8% |
| 2015 | 45.24 billion BoP, current US$ | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 32.31 billion BoP, current US$ | -28.6% |
| 2017 | 27.92 billion BoP, current US$ | -13.6% |
| 2018 | 28.18 billion BoP, current US$ | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 27.53 billion BoP, current US$ | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 23.25 billion BoP, current US$ | -15.5% |
| 2021 | 70.83 billion BoP, current US$ | +204.6% |
| 2022 | 36.67 billion BoP, current US$ | -48.2% |
| 2023 | 42.45 billion BoP, current US$ | +15.8% |
| 2024 | 43.49 billion BoP, current US$ | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 6.95 billion BoP, current US$ | -84.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 931.73 million BoP, current US$ | 695.55 million BoP, current US$ | 1.42 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.25 billion BoP, current US$ | 255.53 million BoP, current US$ | 2.97 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.02 billion BoP, current US$ | 1.17 billion BoP, current US$ | 8.65 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.03 billion BoP, current US$ | 6.88 billion BoP, current US$ | 38.80 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.65 billion BoP, current US$ | 27.53 billion BoP, current US$ | 45.55 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.28 billion BoP, current US$ | 6.95 billion BoP, current US$ | 70.83 billion BoP, current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 33 Turkey 11.70 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 34 Colombia 11.57 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 35 Cyprus 11.16 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 36 Czechia 10.50 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 37 Peru 10.35 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 38 Romania 9.37 billion BoP, current US$ compare
- 39 Guyana 8.63 billion BoP, current US$ compare
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), per capita 16.47 current US$ per person (2025)
- GDP (current US$), annual growth rate 11.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- GDP (current US$), per capita 1,673 current US$ per person (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.9653 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), per capita 1,615 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), annual growth rate 161.35 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0098 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GNI, Atlas method (current US$), annual growth rate 3.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- GNI (current US$), per capita 1,624 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Sub-Saharan Africa was 6.95 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025, according to 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.
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 70.83 billion BoP, current US$ in 2021.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 255.53 million BoP, current US$ in 1980.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 36th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 84.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from 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, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in the reporting economy. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, and other capital. Direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the ordinary shares of voting stock is the criterion for determining the existence of a direct investment relationship. Data are in current U.S. dollars.