Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in Spain
Spain: Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP was 2.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in Spain, 1970–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Spain recorded 2.4% for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 41.3% on the previous year and down 49.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in Spain peaked at 9.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, -0.2%, in 2012.
That places Spain 17th out of 189 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 outflows as share of GDP in Spain, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.1% | — |
| 1971 | 0.1% | -48.9% |
| 1972 | 0.1% | +16.7% |
| 1973 | 0.1% | +5.7% |
| 1974 | 0.1% | +32.1% |
| 1975 | 0.1% | +69.4% |
| 1976 | 0.2% | +9.8% |
| 1977 | 0.1% | -46.4% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | -27.3% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | -2.3% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | +115.7% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 0.3% | +95.0% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -45.5% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | -4.1% |
| 1986 | 0.2% | +8.6% |
| 1987 | 0.2% | +55.6% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | +40.4% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | +8.2% |
| 1990 | 0.7% | +84.8% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | +17.2% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | -54.9% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | +136.6% |
| 1994 | 0.7% | -17.3% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | +17.6% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | +40.9% |
| 1997 | 2.5% | +122.6% |
| 1998 | 3.5% | +40.4% |
| 1999 | 7.2% | +103.0% |
| 2000 | 9.9% | +39.0% |
| 2001 | 5.4% | -45.7% |
| 2002 | 4.7% | -13.4% |
| 2003 | 3.7% | -20.2% |
| 2004 | 5.8% | +55.8% |
| 2005 | 4.0% | -31.5% |
| 2006 | 8.5% | +114.1% |
| 2007 | 9.8% | +15.6% |
| 2008 | 4.4% | -54.9% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | -79.8% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | +223.0% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | -0.2% | -107.9% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | -1175.5% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | +39.5% |
| 2015 | 4.8% | +42.6% |
| 2016 | 4.9% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 3.7% | -23.8% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | -20.3% |
| 2019 | 2.9% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | +50.1% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | -19.7% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | +35.3% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | -34.1% |
| 2024 | 4.1% | +32.6% |
| 2025 | 2.4% | -41.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 0.3% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.7% | 0.9% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | -0.2% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 2.4% | 4.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More economy & growth data for Spain
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.77 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.62 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 3.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1419 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 5,483 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 3.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 0.1365 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 5,272 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 9.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in Spain?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in Spain was 2.4% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 9.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.2% in 2012.
- How does Spain rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp?
- Spain ranks 17th out of 189 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Net outflows of foreign direct investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world.