Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: Foreign direct investment, net inflows was 1.0% 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 1.0% for foreign direct investment, net inflows in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 56.5% 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 38th 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 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% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | +38.4% |
| 1992 | 1.4% | +30.2% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | +35.1% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | +20.5% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | +13.2% |
| 1997 | 2.9% | +17.1% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 3.3% | +10.5% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | -17.5% |
| 2001 | 3.0% | +9.1% |
| 2002 | 2.7% | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -11.0% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | +13.8% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | +20.4% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 3.7% | +14.5% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | -9.3% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | -29.0% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | +37.8% |
| 2011 | 3.2% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -13.3% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | -14.3% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -14.0% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | +11.6% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | -15.2% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | +26.4% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -26.0% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | -37.0% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | -1.6% |
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 | 3.0% | 2.4% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 1.7% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 2.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
More economy & growth data for Upper middle income
- Services, value added 19.09 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.6% (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 3.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 10.96 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 10.57 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 3.7% (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 32.7% (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.3152 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5694 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 6.12 % 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 1.0% 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 38th 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 56.5%. 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.
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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.