Foreign direct investment, net outflows in OECD members
OECD members: Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 1.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in OECD members, 1970–2025
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 OECD members stood at 1.6%.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 52.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in OECD members peaked at 6.5% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1982.
That places OECD members 5th 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 OECD members, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.6% | — |
| 1971 | 0.5% | -15.6% |
| 1972 | 0.5% | +6.2% |
| 1973 | 0.7% | +28.8% |
| 1974 | 0.5% | -24.4% |
| 1975 | 0.6% | +20.4% |
| 1976 | 0.6% | -8.8% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -9.7% |
| 1978 | 0.6% | +10.4% |
| 1979 | 0.8% | +40.5% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | -21.2% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | -8.1% |
| 1982 | 0.4% | -28.5% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | +11.0% |
| 1984 | 0.5% | +19.4% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | -9.9% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +55.8% |
| 1987 | 1.0% | +34.2% |
| 1988 | 1.1% | +10.7% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | +20.0% |
| 1990 | 1.4% | +5.2% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | -26.0% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | -8.8% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | +18.2% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +17.7% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | +23.1% |
| 1998 | 2.9% | +62.3% |
| 1999 | 4.3% | +49.3% |
| 2000 | 4.7% | +8.4% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | -41.5% |
| 2002 | 2.1% | -23.3% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | +45.6% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | +12.3% |
| 2006 | 4.7% | +40.7% |
| 2007 | 6.5% | +37.2% |
| 2008 | 4.7% | -26.8% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | -43.1% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 3.5% | +24.0% |
| 2012 | 2.7% | -23.5% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | -21.3% |
| 2015 | 3.4% | +46.0% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | -16.1% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -80.9% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | +222.0% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | -32.6% |
| 2021 | 3.1% | +154.6% |
| 2022 | 2.6% | -17.1% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | -68.5% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | +96.7% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.0% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.6% | 2.0% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.7% | 0.6% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 0.8% | 3.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 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
- 8 Japan 4.9% compare
More economy & growth data for OECD members
- Industry (including construction), value added 11.64 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2024)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 10.69 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 731.26 billion constant 2015 US$ (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 0.7% (2024)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6982 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Manufacturing, value added 7.62 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2024)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 30,368 current US$ per person (2021)
- Industry (including construction), value added 12.98 trillion current US$ (2022)
- Services, value added 69.8% (2021)
- Services, value added 41.66 trillion current US$ (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in OECD members?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows in OECD members 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 6.5% in 2007.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1982.
- How does OECD members rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- OECD members ranks 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this OECD members 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.