Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Ireland
Ireland: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 10.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Ireland, 1970–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Ireland stood at 10.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 218.2% on the previous year and down 86.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Ireland peaked at 74.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, -24.7%, in 2023.
That places Ireland 18th out of 201 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.7% | — |
| 1971 | 0.5% | -32.6% |
| 1972 | 0.5% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 0.7% | +41.7% |
| 1974 | 0.6% | -6.7% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | +157.2% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +9.5% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | -33.7% |
| 1978 | 2.6% | +111.5% |
| 1979 | 1.8% | -28.3% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | -28.3% |
| 1981 | 1.0% | -25.3% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | +14.5% |
| 1983 | 0.8% | -27.5% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | -26.1% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | +27.5% |
| 1986 | 0.9% | +13.3% |
| 1987 | 1.0% | +9.1% |
| 1988 | 0.7% | -28.3% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | -27.9% |
| 1990 | 1.3% | +156.8% |
| 1991 | 2.7% | +116.8% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 2.1% | -21.1% |
| 1994 | 1.5% | -27.0% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | +39.0% |
| 1996 | 3.5% | +65.5% |
| 1997 | 2.4% | -29.1% |
| 1998 | 9.8% | +301.3% |
| 1999 | 18.4% | +87.4% |
| 2000 | 25.7% | +39.7% |
| 2001 | 8.8% | -65.7% |
| 2002 | 22.8% | +158.4% |
| 2003 | 13.8% | -39.3% |
| 2004 | -5.5% | -139.4% |
| 2005 | 22.2% | -506.5% |
| 2006 | 9.5% | -57.1% |
| 2007 | 22.2% | +133.5% |
| 2008 | 8.5% | -61.9% |
| 2009 | 22.8% | +170.0% |
| 2010 | 17.0% | -25.4% |
| 2011 | 9.8% | -42.2% |
| 2012 | 25.6% | +160.3% |
| 2013 | 29.9% | +16.6% |
| 2014 | 39.4% | +31.8% |
| 2015 | 74.8% | +90.1% |
| 2016 | 26.1% | -65.1% |
| 2017 | 20.4% | -21.8% |
| 2018 | 20.4% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 7.7% | -62.3% |
| 2020 | 8.1% | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 14.7% | +81.1% |
| 2022 | -6.5% | -144.3% |
| 2023 | -24.7% | +280.3% |
| 2024 | -8.8% | -64.4% |
| 2025 | 10.4% | -218.2% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 10.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 4.9× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 10.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.9%, 5.5× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +506.5% | -5.5% | 22.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.2% | 0.5% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.6% | 1.3% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.1% | -5.5% | 25.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.1% | 7.7% | 74.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.1% | -24.7% | 14.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 15 Mongolia 10.8% compare
- 16 Gambia 10.6% compare
- 17 Sao Tome and Principe 10.5% compare
- 19 Kosovo 10.0% compare
- 19 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 10.0% compare
- 21 Seychelles 10.0% compare
More economy & growth data for Ireland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.96 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.52 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 7.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0082 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 1,078 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 2.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 787.03 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0048 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Ireland?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Ireland was 10.4% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 74.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was -24.7% in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Ireland ranks 18th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 86.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% 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 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Foreign direct investment is the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows net inflows (new investment inflows less disinvestment) in the reporting economy from foreign investors, and is divided by GDP.