Foreign Direct Investment Statistics: Data, Analysis and Forecasts

‌FDI in the first 9 months of 2022

In Q3 2022, global FDI flows¹ decreased by 7% compared to Q2. However, due to a strong first quarter this year, global FDI flows in the first nine months of 2022 remain 16% higher than levels recorded in the first nine months of 2021.

Global FDI flows continue to outstrip pre-pandemic levels (USD bn)

_{Source: OECD International Direct Investment Statistics database.}

Top recipients of FDI inflows worldwide in Q3 2022 were the United States (USD 86 billion), Ireland (USD 37 billion) and the United Kingdom (USD 36 billion).
Top sources of FDI outflows worldwide were the United States (USD 66 billion), Japan (USD 40 billion) and the People’s Republic of China (hereafter ‘China’) (USD 90 billion).
OECD FDI inflows increased by 56% in Q3 2022 compared to Q2, partly driven by increases from negative levels of inflows in some European countries. Overall, in the first nine months of 2022, OECD FDI inflows were 57% higher than in the same period in 2021.
OECD FDI outflows decreased by 31% in Q3 2022 compared to the previous quarter, partly driven by decreases from the United States and by negative levels of outflows from the Netherlands. However, over the first nine months of 2022, OECD FDI outflows were 28% higher than in the same period in the previous year.
FDI flows into non-OECD G20 economies decreased by 43% in Q3 2022 compared to Q2, largely driven by decreases in China where FDI inflows dropped to their lowest quarterly levels since 2005. In the first nine months of 2022, non-OECD G20 economies saw a decrease in FDI inflows of 34% compared to the same period in 2021.
FDI outflows from non-OECD G20 economies decreased by 24% in Q3 2022 compared to Q2, driven by FDI outflows from Brazil, which dropped to negative levels, largely as a result of resident affiliates extending loans to their foreign parents. Overall, in the first nine months of 2022, non-OECD G20 FDI outflows were 17% lower than in the first nine months of the previous year.

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^{1. By definition, inward and outward FDI worldwide should be equal, but in practice, there are statistical discrepancies between inward and outward FDI. Unless otherwise specified, references to ‘global FDI flows’ refer to the average of these two figures.}

FDI in Figures October 2022: Global FDI flows up overall by 20% in the first half of 2022, but this masks a 22% drop in the second quarter.

28/10/2022 - Global FDI flows rebounded to USD 972 billion in the first half of 2022. However, much of the increase came in the first quarter, whereas global FDI flows dropped by 22% in Q2 2022, compared to the previous quarter. This drop is not surprising given increasing inflation and interest rates, rising energy prices and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The United States was the leading FDI recipient worldwide, followed by China and Brazil.

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Past issues of FDI in Figures

OECD statistics on foreign direct investment are constructed using official country FDI statistics. Any projections used are noted in the report.

In focus Trends, investor types and drivers of renewables energy FDI, OECD Working Papers on International Investment, Polina Knutsson and Perla Ibarlucea Flores, 2022 Divestments by MNEs: What do we know about why they happen?, Maria Borga and Monika Sztajerowska, 2018 Trade, FDI and global value chains International trade and FDI are the main defining features and key drivers of global value chains. For the first time ever, these statistical notes for OECD countries provide evidence on the role played by investment in global value chains. Download the country notes	‌‌	FDI regulatory restrictiveness index The FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index (FDI Index) measures statutory restrictions on foreign direct investment in 58 countries, including all OECD and G20 countries, and covers 22 sectors. Access the FDI index

FDI statistics database Access the data on OECD.Stat (categorised under "Globalisation") FDI financial flows main aggregates \| by partner country \| by industry FDI income main aggregates \| by partner country \| by industry FDI positions main aggregates \| by partner country \| by industry Access metadata underlying FDI statistics by partner country and by industry for OECD countries The new FDI statistics database covering FDI statistics from 2014 onwards went online in March 2015. Full list of frequently requested data found on the FDI statistics database Content and structure of the FDI statistics database according to BMD4 Access data prior to 2014		OECD benchmark definition (BMD4) The FDI statistics database uses data compiled with "BMD4"- The 4^th edition of the OECD Benchmark definition of FDI (BMD4) provides operational guidelines on how foreign direct investment activity should be measured and sets the world standard for collecting direct investment statistics. How BMD4 impacts our compilation of FDI statistics Brochure on the major changes introduced by BMD4 Note on the FDI statistics database according to BMD4 Explanatory notes on OECD FDI statistics Glossary of FDI terms
Data collection calendar Aggregate FDI statistics are updated quarterly, four months after the end of the reference quarter and revisions to earlier periods. FDI aggregates for Q1: last week of July FDI aggregates for Q2: last week of October FDI aggregates for Q3: last week of January FDI aggregates for Q4: last week of April Datasets: FDI aggregates summary \| FDI positions aggregates \| FDI flows aggregates \| FDI income aggregates Detailed FDI statistics by partner country and by industry are updated annually, in the second half of December of the year after the reference year and incorporate revisions to earlier periods. Minor updates are released in the last weeks of January, March, and June to reflect late reporters and revisions reported by selected countries. Datasets: FDI statistics by partner country and by industry summary \| FDI flows by partner country \| FDI flows by industry \| FDI positions by partner country \| FDI positions by industry \| FDI income by partner country \| FDI income by industry \| FDI by partner country and by industry -BMD4 and historic BMD3 series		Documents and links Trends, investor types and drivers of renewables energy FDI, OECD Working Papers on International Investment, 2022 Divestments by MNEs: What do we know about why they happen?, 2021 Drivers of divestment decisions in multinational enterprises, 2020 The determinants of Foreign Direct Investment - Do statutory restrictions matter?, 2019 The digital economy, multinational enterprises and international investment policy, 2018 Towards an international framework for investment facilitation, 2018 Examen des statistiques d'investissements directs internationaux au Maroc, 2018

Please find here (link to excel tables) the latest official FDI statistics for Q1 2022 as published by official national sources by the end of June 2022. Data for Q2 2022 will be published separately by national authorities by the end of September 2022, and released at the end of October 2022 in the OECD FDI database.