Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 0.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Upper middle income, 1979–2025
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
The most recent figure for foreign direct investment, net outflows in Upper middle income is 0.8%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.3% on the previous year and down 34.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Upper middle income peaked at 1.4% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1979.
Upper middle income ranks 20th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 Upper middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.0% | — |
| 1980 | 0.1% | +450.6% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -29.3% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | -35.9% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -5.9% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | +58.3% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | -7.5% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | +21.1% |
| 1988 | 0.1% | -11.8% |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +30.9% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -5.2% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | +29.6% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | +169.9% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | -26.8% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | +18.0% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | +15.9% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | -13.1% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | +34.8% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | -6.8% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -25.7% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | -15.9% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -24.0% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | +89.4% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | +62.0% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +74.7% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -15.8% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +13.8% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -34.8% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +48.2% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -25.7% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | +6.9% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | +20.5% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | +15.3% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +13.6% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -31.6% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | -8.9% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | +8.7% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | +15.8% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | -9.7% |
| 2025 | 0.8% | -11.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.2% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
More economy & growth data for Upper middle income
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.6% (2025)
- Imports of goods and services 7.97 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Imports of goods and services 23.8% (2025)
- External balance on goods and services 2.1% (2025)
- Trade 48.9% (2025)
- GDP (current US$), annual growth rate 4.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 2.16 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 32.7% (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 3.7% (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 10.57 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in Upper middle income?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Upper 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 Upper middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 2016.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Upper middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1979.
- How does Upper middle income rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
- Upper middle income ranks 20th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in Upper middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Upper 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.