Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Palau
Palau: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 16.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Palau, 1989–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Palau recorded 16.6% for foreign direct investment, net inflows in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and up 35.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Palau peaked at 30.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, -0.9%, in 2001.
That places Palau 10th 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 Palau, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1.2% | — |
| 1990 | 1.0% | -12.2% |
| 1991 | 0.9% | -8.3% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | -0.2% | -118.2% |
| 2000 | 2.1% | -1324.5% |
| 2001 | -0.9% | -142.3% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | -230.1% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | +154.3% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | +38.4% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -48.0% |
| 2006 | 17.4% | +715.5% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | -87.2% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | -36.3% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 4.3% | +192.8% |
| 2012 | 10.1% | +136.0% |
| 2013 | 8.0% | -20.8% |
| 2014 | 16.2% | +103.7% |
| 2015 | 12.2% | -24.8% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | +74.6% |
| 2017 | 16.5% | -22.8% |
| 2018 | 17.6% | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 16.1% | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 17.0% | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 13.6% | -20.1% |
| 2022 | 30.1% | +121.0% |
| 2023 | 28.9% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 17.2% | -40.7% |
| 2025 | 16.6% | -3.6% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's 16.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 7.8× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Palau's 16.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.1%, 7.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Palau 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +1324.5% | -0.2% | 2.1% |
| 2006 | +715.5% | 2.1% | 17.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | -0.2% | 1.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | -0.9% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 1.5% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.6% | 13.6% | 30.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Palau
- 7 Cyprus 27.1% compare
- 8 Singapore 26.3% compare
- 9 Mozambique 25.8% compare
- 11 East Timor 13.3% compare
- 12 Antigua and Barbuda 12.1% compare
- 13 Grenada 12.0% compare
More economy & growth data for Palau
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.69 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0287 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 560.2 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.043 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0209 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 409.06 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0177 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Palau?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Palau was 16.6% 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 Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 30.1% in 2022.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.9% in 2001.
- How does Palau rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Palau ranks 10th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Palau 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.
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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.