Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 0.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Low & middle income, 1977–2025
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 Low & middle income stood at 0.8%.
The figure is down 6.3% on the previous year and down 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Low & middle income peaked at 1.2% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1979.
That places Low & middle income 25th 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 Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 0.0% | — |
| 1978 | 0.0% | +8.4% |
| 1979 | 0.0% | -54.8% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | +410.2% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -38.0% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | -24.2% |
| 1983 | 0.0% | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 0.0% | -4.6% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | +63.1% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | -9.3% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | +16.6% |
| 1988 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +62.6% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -13.9% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | +30.5% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | +121.8% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | -16.5% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | +7.9% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | +8.4% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | -7.0% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | +30.4% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | -15.0% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | +7.4% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -19.5% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -17.3% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -10.3% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | +65.7% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +56.3% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +6.3% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +88.4% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -14.5% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +13.4% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -32.6% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +38.1% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | -26.3% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +24.5% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +10.6% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | +11.4% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | -28.2% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | -9.3% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | +10.4% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | +13.5% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -5.8% |
| 2024 | 0.8% | -5.1% |
| 2025 | 0.8% | -6.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.2% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More economy & growth data for Low & middle income
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.9385 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.5412 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 3,305 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- GDP (current US$), annual growth rate 5.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- GDP (current US$), per capita 6,107 current US$ per person (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), annual growth rate 0.7748 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), per capita 1,894 current US$ per person (2024)
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3225 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 5.02 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in Low & middle income?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Low & middle 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 2016.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1979.
- How does Low & middle income rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- Low & middle income ranks 25th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Low & middle 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.