Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 4.6% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia stood at 4.6%.
The figure is up 9.1% on the previous year and up 40.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Malaysia peaked at 8.8% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2009.
That places Malaysia 45th out of 201 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.4% | — |
| 1971 | 2.4% | -3.1% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | -4.1% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 6.0% | +167.8% |
| 1975 | 3.8% | -37.3% |
| 1976 | 3.5% | -8.5% |
| 1977 | 3.1% | -10.5% |
| 1978 | 3.1% | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 2.7% | -11.6% |
| 1980 | 3.8% | +41.1% |
| 1981 | 5.1% | +32.6% |
| 1982 | 5.2% | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 4.2% | -20.3% |
| 1984 | 2.3% | -43.4% |
| 1985 | 2.2% | -5.2% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | -20.8% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | -25.5% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | +55.3% |
| 1989 | 4.3% | +110.5% |
| 1990 | 5.3% | +23.4% |
| 1991 | 8.1% | +53.6% |
| 1992 | 8.8% | +7.7% |
| 1993 | 7.5% | -14.6% |
| 1994 | 5.8% | -22.1% |
| 1995 | 4.7% | -19.2% |
| 1996 | 5.0% | +6.9% |
| 1997 | 5.1% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | -41.6% |
| 1999 | 4.9% | +64.2% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | -17.9% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -85.2% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | +430.3% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -7.7% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | +20.1% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | -22.0% |
| 2006 | 4.7% | +72.9% |
| 2007 | 4.7% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | -30.0% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -98.3% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | +7429.5% |
| 2011 | 5.1% | +18.9% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -44.2% |
| 2013 | 3.5% | +23.5% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | -10.1% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 4.5% | +36.7% |
| 2017 | 2.9% | -34.3% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | -21.2% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +8.3% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | -52.0% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | +350.3% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -32.0% |
| 2023 | 2.4% | -34.5% |
| 2024 | 4.2% | +73.9% |
| 2025 | 4.6% | +9.1% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 4.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.3%, 2.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 4.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.1%, 2.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Malaysia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +7429.5% | 0.1% | 4.3% |
| 2002 | +430.3% | 0.6% | 3.2% |
| 2021 | +350.3% | 1.2% | 5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.1% | 2.2% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 1.3% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.8% | 3.0% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 0.1% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.4% | 2.3% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 1.2% | 5.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More economy & growth data for Malaysia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.04 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.97 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0126 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 165.93 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 0.291 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0092 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 121.16 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0078 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Malaysia?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Malaysia was 4.6% 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 1992.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2009.
- How does Malaysia rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Malaysia ranks 45th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.