Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Euro area
Euro area: Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 1.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Euro area, 1971–2025
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
Euro area recorded 1.6% for foreign direct investment, net outflows in 2025.
The figure is down 38.9% on the previous year and down 79.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Euro area peaked at 11.4% in 2007 and was at its lowest, -1.5%, in 2023.
That places Euro area 4th out of 47 groups 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 in Euro area, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.5% | — |
| 1972 | 0.5% | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 0.5% | -3.1% |
| 1974 | 0.5% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 0.5% | -9.8% |
| 1976 | 0.5% | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -7.8% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | +7.6% |
| 1979 | 0.6% | +25.4% |
| 1980 | 0.5% | -16.1% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +17.5% |
| 1982 | 0.4% | -27.6% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | +12.1% |
| 1984 | 0.7% | +33.5% |
| 1985 | 0.6% | -12.9% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +32.8% |
| 1987 | 0.8% | +6.9% |
| 1988 | 1.0% | +28.6% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | +31.6% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | +19.4% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | -18.9% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | -6.5% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | -11.4% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | +7.4% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +17.2% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | +37.8% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | +10.7% |
| 1998 | 3.7% | +78.6% |
| 1999 | 7.2% | +92.0% |
| 2000 | 8.4% | +17.1% |
| 2001 | 5.8% | -31.4% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | -54.3% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 3.8% | +41.6% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | +104.1% |
| 2006 | 9.9% | +29.2% |
| 2007 | 11.4% | +14.5% |
| 2008 | 7.3% | -35.8% |
| 2009 | 5.4% | -26.6% |
| 2010 | 4.7% | -11.8% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | +35.9% |
| 2012 | 5.0% | -22.4% |
| 2013 | 5.2% | +5.2% |
| 2014 | 4.4% | -15.6% |
| 2015 | 7.9% | +77.6% |
| 2016 | 6.3% | -19.3% |
| 2017 | 4.6% | -27.1% |
| 2018 | 2.9% | -37.5% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | +6.9% |
| 2020 | -0.4% | -112.0% |
| 2021 | 6.3% | -1785.8% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | -49.9% |
| 2023 | -1.5% | -146.9% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | -280.3% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | -38.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.1% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.5% | 2.6% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.1% | 2.9% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | -1.5% | 6.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Euro area
- 1 Malta 145.6% compare
- 2 Luxembourg 116.4% compare
- 3 Hong Kong, China 19.7% compare
- 4 Singapore 15.6% compare
- 5 United Arab Emirates 14.0% compare
- 6 Ireland 11.0% compare
- 7 Denmark 7.2% compare
More economy & growth data for Euro area
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 2.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.742 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per capita 37,260 current US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.5677 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 28,509 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 9.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9609 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 48,253 current US$ per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.3841 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in Euro area?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Euro area was 1.6% 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 Euro area?
- The highest recorded value was 11.4% in 2007.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Euro area?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.5% in 2023.
- How does Euro area rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- Euro area ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in Euro area?
- Over the last ten years it is down 79.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Euro area 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.