Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 1.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1976–2025
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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan stood at 1.5%.
That represents a change of down 53.1% on the previous year and up 30.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 3.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, -0.0%, in 1990.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 7th of 47 groups 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 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 0.1% | — |
| 1977 | 0.1% | +17.5% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | -4.9% |
| 1979 | -0.0% | -148.9% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -544.1% |
| 1981 | 0.0% | -96.4% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | +2218.4% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -45.3% |
| 1984 | 0.0% | -32.1% |
| 1985 | 0.0% | -14.7% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | +131.0% |
| 1987 | 0.2% | +158.4% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | +110.0% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | -19.1% |
| 1990 | -0.0% | -114.3% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | -239.8% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | +341.7% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -58.5% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -34.2% |
| 1995 | 0.1% | -13.9% |
| 1996 | 0.5% | +529.5% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | -66.7% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | -69.3% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | +415.8% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | +142.2% |
| 2001 | 0.0% | -95.9% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | +1487.2% |
| 2003 | 0.0% | -88.4% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | +2899.2% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | +18.5% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | +76.0% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | -10.7% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | -75.8% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +89.6% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -11.8% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -54.9% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | +129.2% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | +28.2% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +16.4% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | +46.0% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | +52.6% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | -29.7% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 2.9% | +38.5% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | -17.4% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | -26.1% |
| 2024 | 3.3% | +82.0% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -53.1% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | +2899.2% | 0.0% | 1.3% |
| 1982 | +2218.4% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2002 | +1487.2% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 1980 | +544.1% | -0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1996 | +529.5% | 0.1% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0% | -0.0% | 0.1% | 4 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | -0.0% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 0.0% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 0.4% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 1.5% | 3.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More economy & growth data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 100.54 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 1,005 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.162 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 0.4665 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 1,080 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.1741 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) 1.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0097 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 59.93 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 83.25 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 1.5% 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.0% in 1990.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.