United Kingdom: Foreign Direct Investment, percent of GDP

* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
 United Kingdom

Foreign Direct Investment, percent of GDP

 Latest value -1.44
 Year 2023
 Measure percent
 Data availability 1970 - 2023
 Average 2.82
 Min - Max -1.44 - 12.08
 Source The World Bank
The latest value from 2023 is -1.44 percent, a decline from 1.45 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 3.16 percent, based on data from 173 countries. Historically, the average for the United Kingdom from 1970 to 2023 is 2.82 percent. The minimum value, -1.44 percent, was reached in 2023 while the maximum of 12.08 percent was recorded in 2016. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Recent data
United Kingdom - Foreign Direct Investment, percent of GDP - Recent values chart

Historical series
United Kingdom - Foreign Direct Investment, percent of GDP - historical chart - 1970-2023




Foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom and other countries reflects the foreign ownership of production facilities. To be classified as foreign direct investment, the share of the foreign ownership has to be equal to at least 10 percent of the value of the company. The investment could be in manufacturing, services, agriculture, or other sectors. It could have originated as green field investment (building something new), as acquisition (buying an existing company) or joint venture (partnership).

FDI is reported on an annual basis, i.e. how much new investment was received in the country during the current year. It typically runs at about 2-3 percent of the size of the economy measured by its gross domestic product. If a country routinely receives FDI that exceeds 5-6% of GDP each year, then this is a significant success.
Definition: Foreign direct investment are the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows net inflows (new investment inflows less disinvestment) in the reporting economy from foreign investors, and is divided by GDP.

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 Related indicators Latest Reference Measure
 Terms of trade 95.19 2021 percent
 Trade openness 65.59 2023 percent
 Financial openness 2.299 2021 index points
 Exports, percent of GDP 32.17 2023 percent
 Exports, billion dollars 1,074.58 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Growth of exports -0.51 2023 percent
 Imports, percent of GDP 33.41 2023 percent
 Imports, billion dollars 1,116.06 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Foreign Direct Investment, percent of GDP -1.44 2023 percent
 Foreign Direct Investment, billion dollars 44.90 2022 billion U.S. dollars
 Portfolio investment inflows, equities -7,151.12 2023 million dollars (current)
 Current account, percent of GDP -3.30 2023 percent
 Current account, in dollars -110.39 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Trade balance, percent of GDP -1.24 2023 percent
 Trade balance, in dollars -41.64 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Reserves 177.92 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Remittances, percent of GDP 0.12 2023 percent
 Remittances 3,933.15 2023 million U.S. dollars
 Net errors and omissions 25,116.91 2023 million USD
 Foreign exchange reserves 226.85 9/2024 billion
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