Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Low income
Low income: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 3.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Low income, 1970–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Low income recorded 3.7% for foreign direct investment, net inflows in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.2% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Low income peaked at 5.8% in 2012 and was at its lowest, -0.2%, in 1983.
Low income ranks 5th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 Low income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.7% | — |
| 1972 | 0.3% | -61.6% |
| 1973 | 0.6% | +130.1% |
| 1974 | 0.6% | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +36.7% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | +37.5% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -50.7% |
| 1978 | 0.7% | +22.5% |
| 1979 | 0.5% | -24.6% |
| 1980 | 0.4% | -21.0% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +57.1% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | -79.1% |
| 1983 | -0.2% | -284.7% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | -130.8% |
| 1985 | 0.2% | +134.8% |
| 1986 | -0.1% | -162.8% |
| 1987 | 0.2% | -269.4% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | +122.0% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | +123.9% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | -74.7% |
| 1991 | 0.3% | +35.3% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | +198.5% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | +16.8% |
| 1994 | 0.7% | -37.0% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | -56.0% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | +29.9% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | +190.3% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | +30.0% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | +7.7% |
| 2000 | 1.5% | -9.7% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | +67.2% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | +26.3% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -37.4% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | +48.5% |
| 2007 | 3.3% | +12.2% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | -10.3% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | +28.9% |
| 2011 | 4.2% | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 5.8% | +38.3% |
| 2013 | 5.0% | -14.9% |
| 2014 | 3.6% | -28.4% |
| 2015 | 3.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | -14.3% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | +14.0% |
| 2020 | 3.1% | -9.5% |
| 2021 | 3.9% | +28.7% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -19.3% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +11.3% |
| 2024 | 3.4% | -2.9% |
| 2025 | 3.7% | +8.2% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Low 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | -284.7% | 0.1% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | +269.4% | -0.1% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 1.1% | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.3% | -0.2% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.2% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 1.5% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.0% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low income
More economy & growth data for Low income
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) 11.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 0.7948 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current US$) 3.09 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 76.83 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.0918 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 4.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 101.2 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.1209 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Low income?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Low income was 3.7% 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 Low income?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 2012.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Low income?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.2% in 1983.
- How does Low income rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Low income ranks 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Low income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Low income 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 — 55 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.