Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP was 2.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 2.2% for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in 2025.
That represents a change of up 210.7% on the previous year and up 206.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 17.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, -3.7%, in 2014.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 25th out of 189 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.3% | — |
| 1971 | 1.3% | +4.6% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | -11.6% |
| 1973 | 2.6% | +118.0% |
| 1974 | 2.1% | -17.9% |
| 1975 | 1.2% | -41.5% |
| 1976 | 1.9% | +50.2% |
| 1977 | 1.6% | -14.9% |
| 1978 | 2.0% | +27.9% |
| 1979 | 2.9% | +40.8% |
| 1980 | 2.0% | -30.4% |
| 1981 | 2.2% | +13.1% |
| 1982 | 1.4% | -38.1% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | +20.2% |
| 1984 | 1.7% | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 2.2% | +25.4% |
| 1986 | 2.8% | +30.5% |
| 1987 | 3.9% | +37.2% |
| 1988 | 4.6% | +17.9% |
| 1989 | 3.4% | -26.0% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | -24.4% |
| 1991 | 2.1% | -19.5% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | +7.6% |
| 1993 | 2.9% | +29.3% |
| 1994 | 3.8% | +33.8% |
| 1995 | 4.2% | +9.2% |
| 1996 | 2.9% | -30.1% |
| 1997 | 4.8% | +62.6% |
| 1998 | 9.5% | +99.8% |
| 1999 | 14.3% | +50.5% |
| 2000 | 17.5% | +22.1% |
| 2001 | 4.7% | -73.2% |
| 2002 | 6.8% | +44.5% |
| 2003 | 4.0% | -41.0% |
| 2004 | 5.3% | +33.0% |
| 2005 | 6.3% | +18.4% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | -16.5% |
| 2007 | 11.9% | +128.1% |
| 2008 | 12.1% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | -2.0% | -116.4% |
| 2010 | 2.2% | -209.4% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | +38.6% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -85.4% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | +274.1% |
| 2014 | -3.7% | -323.3% |
| 2015 | -2.0% | -44.7% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -159.5% |
| 2017 | 6.4% | +424.3% |
| 2018 | -1.0% | -115.5% |
| 2019 | -0.7% | -24.4% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | -180.5% |
| 2021 | 4.2% | +593.6% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | +8.2% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -80.4% |
| 2024 | -2.0% | -322.2% |
| 2025 | 2.2% | -210.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.2% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.6% | 1.4% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.9% | 2.1% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.2% | -2.0% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | -3.7% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | -2.0% | 4.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 22 Czechia 2.2% compare
- 23 Republic of Korea 2.2% compare
- 24 Portugal 2.2% compare
- 26 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 2.2% compare
- 27 Germany 2.1% compare
- 28 Saudi Arabia 2.1% compare
More economy & growth data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.14 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 39,565 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 8.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.01 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 58,381 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 5.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7697 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 44,339 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 2.02 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 2.2% 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 17.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.7% in 2014.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 25th out of 189 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 206.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.