Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in United States of America
United States of America: Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP was 1.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in United States of America, 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 States of America recorded 1.4% for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 24.8% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in United States of America peaked at 3.6% in 2007 and was at its lowest, -0.6%, in 2018.
United States of America ranks 38th of 189 countries on this measure, 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 States of America, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.6% | — |
| 1971 | 0.5% | -20.2% |
| 1972 | 0.6% | +18.8% |
| 1973 | 0.7% | +14.3% |
| 1974 | 0.3% | -49.0% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +144.0% |
| 1976 | 0.6% | -25.8% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -10.3% |
| 1978 | 0.6% | +12.8% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | +54.0% |
| 1980 | 0.7% | -29.2% |
| 1981 | 0.3% | -52.7% |
| 1982 | 0.2% | -26.3% |
| 1983 | 0.2% | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 0.3% | +31.6% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | -73.3% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | +402.7% |
| 1987 | 0.8% | +92.3% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | -49.4% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | +118.0% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | +11.2% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | -20.4% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | +12.7% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | +33.9% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +16.7% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -11.4% |
| 1997 | 1.4% | +10.9% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | +36.3% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | +33.3% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -29.2% |
| 2001 | 1.4% | -24.1% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | +18.7% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | +79.7% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | -86.8% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | +409.3% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | +76.2% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | -35.7% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | -7.2% |
| 2010 | 2.3% | +7.7% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | +20.4% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | -17.1% |
| 2013 | 2.3% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -25.0% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | +30.9% |
| 2018 | -0.6% | -130.3% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | -184.3% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +147.6% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +9.2% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | -15.4% |
| 2024 | 1.1% | -12.9% |
| 2025 | 1.4% | +24.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 0.8% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 0.4% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | -0.6% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More economy & growth data for United States of America
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 54,931 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 5.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.03 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 88,812 current US$ per person (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 5.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1.03 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 88,812 current LCU per person (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.1 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in United States of America?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in United States of America was 1.4% 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 United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 2007.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.6% in 2018.
- How does United States of America rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp?
- United States of America ranks 38th out of 189 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States of America 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Net outflows of foreign direct investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world.