Foreign direct investment, net outflows in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 0.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 1982–2025
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 2025, foreign direct investment, net outflows in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) stood at 0.8%.
The figure is down 21.6% on the previous year and down 47.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) peaked at 1.7% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1983.
That places East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 18th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, 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 East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0.1% | — |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -8.8% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | +8.1% |
| 1985 | 0.2% | +109.4% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | -24.9% |
| 1987 | 0.2% | +62.6% |
| 1988 | 0.2% | -7.1% |
| 1989 | 0.2% | -8.0% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | -20.6% |
| 1991 | 0.2% | +15.1% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | +259.4% |
| 1993 | 0.7% | +15.2% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | -26.3% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | -10.1% |
| 1996 | 0.5% | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -6.6% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | -15.9% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 0.4% | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | +68.2% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -27.4% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | +19.0% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | -7.9% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | +30.3% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +43.9% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -12.0% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +60.2% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | -31.4% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +19.4% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -20.8% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | +13.1% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +31.4% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +20.7% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | +10.4% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -35.1% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | -10.7% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +11.2% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 1.1% | +10.1% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | -14.6% |
| 2025 | 0.8% | -21.6% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net outflows in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +259.4% | 0.2% | 0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- 15 Andorra 2.9% compare
- 16 Macau, China 2.5% compare
- 17 Papua New Guinea 2.5% compare
- 18 Canada 2.5% compare
- 19 Spain 2.4% compare
- 20 Chile 2.4% compare
- 21 Switzerland 2.4% compare
More economy & growth data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 176.21 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- GDP (current US$), annual growth rate 4.49 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5647 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 6,123 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 5.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.5372 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 5,825 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), per capita 10,615 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.9789 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) was 0.8% in 2025, 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 East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 2016.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1983.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 18th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 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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About this data
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.