Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 0.2% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
0.2%
Change on year
up 15.7%
World rank
108th
of 191 countries
All-time high
0.2%
in 2021
All-time low
-0.0%
in 2012
Years of data
17
2003–2021

Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Afghanistan, 2003–2021

00.10.22003201220212003: 0.022 % of GDP2004: -0.013 % of GDP2005: 0.024 % of GDP2008: -0.019 % of GDP2009: 0.002 % of GDP2010: -0.008 % of GDP2011: 0.006 % of GDP2012: -0.045 % of GDP2013: 0.003 % of GDP2014: -0 % of GDP2015: 0.011 % of GDP2016: 0.077 % of GDP2017: 0.06 % of GDP2018: 0.215 % of GDP2019: 0.14 % of GDP2020: 0.187 % of GDP2021: 0.216 % of GDP

Source: Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2021, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Afghanistan stood at 0.2%. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 15.7% on the previous year and up 3,280.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Afghanistan peaked at 0.2% in 2021 and was at its lowest, -0.0%, in 2012.

That places Afghanistan 108th out of 191 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Afghanistan, year by year

Annual values for Foreign direct investment, net outflows (% of GDP) in Afghanistan, 2003 to 2021.
Year % of GDP Change
2003 0.0%
2004 -0.0% -160.6%
2005 0.0% -280.5%
2008 -0.0% -178.5%
2009 0.0% -110.5%
2010 -0.0% -495.5%
2011 0.0% -181.1%
2012 -0.0% -796.9%
2013 0.0% -106.0%
2014 -0.0% -103.5%
2015 0.0% -12197.5%
2016 0.1% +583.9%
2017 0.1% -22.3%
2018 0.2% +258.0%
2019 0.1% -34.9%
2020 0.2% +33.2%
2021 0.2% +15.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.0% -0.0% 0.0% 5
2010s 0.0% -0.0% 0.2% 10
2020s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 2

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 105 Timor-Leste 0.2% compare
  2. 106 Mongolia 0.2% compare
  3. 107 Curaçao 0.2% compare
  4. 109 Vanuatu 0.2% compare
  5. 110 Norway 0.2% compare
  6. 111 Tonga 0.2% compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

More economy & growth data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in Afghanistan?
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Afghanistan was 0.2% in 2021, according to Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D.
What is the highest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 2021.
What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was -0.0% in 2012.
How does Afghanistan rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
Afghanistan ranks 108th out of 191 countries with data for 2021.
Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 3,280.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net outflows (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Afghanistan. Statizoid, drawing on Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/foreign-direct-investment-net-outflows-percent-of-gdp/afghanistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Foreign direct investment, net outflows (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
238 places, 9,462 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in an economy. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, and other capital. Direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the ordinary shares of voting stock is the criterion for determining the existence of a direct investment relationship. This series shows net outflows of investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world, and is divided by GDP.