Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 1.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Upper middle income, 1970–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Upper middle income recorded 1.1% for foreign direct investment, net inflows in 2025.
That represents a change of up 5.4% on the previous year and down 53.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Upper middle income peaked at 3.7% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1979.
That places Upper middle income 39th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it 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 Upper middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.0% | — |
| 1971 | 0.9% | -8.3% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | -26.9% |
| 1973 | 0.9% | +34.7% |
| 1974 | 0.9% | -3.0% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | -11.4% |
| 1976 | 0.7% | -12.6% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -27.7% |
| 1978 | 0.6% | +13.8% |
| 1979 | 0.4% | -29.3% |
| 1980 | 0.4% | +11.5% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +38.2% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -11.4% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | -3.7% |
| 1984 | 0.5% | -5.2% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | +6.6% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -15.2% |
| 1987 | 0.5% | +10.2% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | +73.1% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | -9.3% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | +38.7% |
| 1992 | 1.4% | +30.4% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | +35.2% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | +20.4% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | +13.5% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | +17.2% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 3.3% | +10.4% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | -17.4% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | +9.1% |
| 2002 | 2.7% | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -11.0% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | +13.9% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | +20.4% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 3.7% | +14.5% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | -9.3% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | -29.0% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | +37.8% |
| 2011 | 3.2% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -13.3% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -14.2% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | -8.4% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | +11.8% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | -15.2% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | +27.1% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -25.8% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | -36.9% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 1.1% | +5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 0.8% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.4% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 1.7% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.0% | 2.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
- 36 Andorra 6.0% compare
- 37 Rwanda 5.9% compare
- 38 New Caledonia 5.9% compare
- 39 Costa Rica 5.4% compare
- 40 Mauritania 5.4% compare
- 41 Uganda 5.4% compare
- 42 Cape Verde 5.0% compare
More economy & growth data for Upper middle income
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 228.01 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 5,754 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 6.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5694 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 6,201 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.65 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.5284 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GDP (current US$), per capita 10,890 current US$ per person (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.9359 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.21 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Upper middle income?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Upper middle income was 1.1% 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 Upper middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 3.7% in 2007.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Upper middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1979.
- How does Upper middle income rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Upper middle income ranks 39th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Upper middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Upper 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.