Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Middle income
Middle income: Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 0.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in 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
Middle income recorded 0.8% for foreign direct investment, net outflows in 2025.
That represents a change of down 6.8% on the previous year and down 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Middle income peaked at 1.2% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1979.
That places Middle income 24th 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 Middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 0.0% | — |
| 1978 | 0.0% | +9.6% |
| 1979 | 0.0% | -56.5% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | +361.2% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -31.3% |
| 1982 | 0.0% | -34.1% |
| 1983 | 0.0% | +6.7% |
| 1984 | 0.0% | -4.4% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | +46.6% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | +26.2% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | -5.0% |
| 1988 | 0.1% | -9.1% |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +78.8% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -13.7% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | +18.6% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | +141.5% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | -15.5% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | +7.4% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | +9.4% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | -7.1% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | +26.4% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | -7.5% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -22.5% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -11.4% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -13.1% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | +67.1% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +56.4% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +6.3% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +89.0% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -14.2% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +13.6% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -32.3% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +36.6% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | -25.7% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +25.3% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +10.6% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | +11.3% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | -28.3% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | -9.3% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | +10.3% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | +13.2% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -5.6% |
| 2024 | 0.8% | -5.0% |
| 2025 | 0.8% | -6.8% |
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 Middle income
- 21 Switzerland 2.4% compare
- 22 France 2.4% compare
- 23 Israel 2.4% compare
- 24 Czechia 2.2% compare
- 25 Republic of Korea 2.2% compare
- 26 Portugal 2.2% compare
- 27 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 2.2% compare
More economy & growth data for Middle income
- Services, value added 22.22 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 2,196 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 13.23 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 12.84 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 4.2% (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 32.4% (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 4.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added 23.64 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5788 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 6.56 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in Middle income?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows in 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 Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 2016.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1979.
- How does Middle income rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- Middle income ranks 24th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this 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.