Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Middle income
Middle income: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 1.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle income, 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 Middle income stood at 1.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 50.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle income peaked at 3.5% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1980.
Middle income ranks 36th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 (% of GDP) in Middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.8% | — |
| 1971 | 0.8% | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 0.5% | -37.2% |
| 1973 | 0.7% | +46.8% |
| 1974 | 0.6% | -14.4% |
| 1975 | 0.7% | +7.9% |
| 1976 | 0.5% | -31.3% |
| 1977 | 0.4% | -8.6% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | +14.8% |
| 1979 | 0.4% | -10.5% |
| 1980 | 0.4% | -14.1% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +44.9% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -12.5% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | -5.1% |
| 1984 | 0.4% | -5.5% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | +19.4% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -17.6% |
| 1987 | 0.5% | +12.8% |
| 1988 | 0.7% | +52.4% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 0.7% | -11.6% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | +45.5% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | +23.3% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +35.6% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | +20.2% |
| 1995 | 1.9% | -4.9% |
| 1996 | 2.1% | +12.7% |
| 1997 | 2.6% | +22.4% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 2.9% | +10.4% |
| 2000 | 2.5% | -15.3% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | +9.8% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | -9.2% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -8.8% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | +10.2% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | +21.9% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | +13.0% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | -28.1% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | +24.4% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | -13.8% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | -11.7% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -14.9% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | -10.6% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | +8.8% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | -12.1% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 2.0% | +18.5% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -22.6% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | -33.8% |
| 2024 | 1.1% | +10.0% |
| 2025 | 1.2% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.9% | 0.7% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.2% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 1.7% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 2.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle income
More economy & growth data for Middle income
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 267.98 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 3.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3336 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 2,171 current US$ per person (2024)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 2.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.3019 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 2,046 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 5.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.242 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 1,641 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle income?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Middle income was 1.2% 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 Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 2007.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1980.
- How does Middle income rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Middle income ranks 36th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Middle 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 — 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.