Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Foreign direct investment, net inflows was 2.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2.4%
Change on year
up 236.5%
Rank
14th
of 47 groups
All-time high
3.5%
in 2006
All-time low
0.1%
in 1975
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 1970–2024

01234197019972024

Source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) recorded 2.4% for foreign direct investment, net inflows in 2024.

The figure is up 236.5% on the previous year and up 365.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 3.5% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1975.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 14th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), year by year

Annual values for Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 1970 to 2024.
Year % of GDP Change
1970 1.0%
1971 0.3% -64.4%
1972 0.5% +43.8%
1973 0.6% +17.5%
1974 0.6% -2.9%
1975 0.1% -87.4%
1976 0.3% +348.7%
1977 0.2% -52.0%
1978 0.4% +156.1%
1979 0.4% -9.2%
1980 0.1% -73.3%
1981 0.2% +116.1%
1982 0.1% -64.9%
1983 0.1% +34.6%
1984 0.3% +163.9%
1985 0.4% +38.4%
1986 0.2% -31.4%
1987 0.2% -12.1%
1988 0.4% +101.3%
1989 0.5% +6.0%
1990 0.2% -62.3%
1991 0.4% +116.6%
1992 0.7% +87.0%
1993 0.9% +31.4%
1994 0.8% -12.9%
1995 0.5% -42.3%
1996 0.6% +19.9%
1997 1.2% +109.6%
1998 0.9% -20.6%
1999 0.8% -9.7%
2000 0.9% +11.4%
2001 1.3% +39.8%
2002 1.7% +27.0%
2003 1.9% +14.7%
2004 1.6% -15.0%
2005 2.4% +49.6%
2006 3.5% +45.5%
2007 3.3% -7.2%
2008 2.8% -14.2%
2009 2.2% -21.1%
2010 1.7% -22.0%
2011 1.0% -44.4%
2012 1.2% +24.1%
2013 0.9% -21.1%
2014 0.5% -44.9%
2015 0.6% +22.4%
2016 0.9% +42.4%
2017 1.1% +18.7%
2018 1.0% -10.4%
2019 1.0% +0.1%
2020 0.8% -20.2%
2021 0.6% -19.2%
2022 0.9% +37.7%
2023 0.7% -16.2%
2024 2.4% +236.5%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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.

YearChange FromTo
1976 +348.7% 0.1% 0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.4% 0.1% 1.0% 10
1980s 0.2% 0.1% 0.5% 10
1990s 0.7% 0.2% 1.2% 10
2000s 2.2% 0.9% 3.5% 10
2010s 1.0% 0.5% 1.7% 10
2020s 1.1% 0.6% 2.4% 5

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

  1. 11 East Timor 13.3% compare
  2. 12 Mauritania 13.2% compare
  3. 13 Antigua and Barbuda 12.1% compare
  4. 14 Grenada 12.0% compare
  5. 15 Mongolia 11.7% compare
  6. 16 Oman 11.6% compare
  7. 17 Maldives 11.4% compare

See the full ranking of 247 places →

More economy & growth data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) →

Frequently asked questions

What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) was 2.4% in 2024, 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 2006.
What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1975.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 14th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
Over the last ten years it is up 365.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD). Statizoid, drawing on International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/foreign-direct-investment-net-inflows-percent-of-gdp/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-ida-and-ibrd/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/foreign-direct-investment-net-inflows-percent-of-gdp/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-ida-and-ibrd/">Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
247 places, 11,875 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

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.