Foreign Direct Investment in the United States increased by 66726 USD Million in the first quarter of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Foreign Direct Investment - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Rest of the World; Foreign Direct Investment in U.S.; Asset (Current Cost), Transactions (ROWFDIQ027S) from Q4 1946 to Q1 2025 about FDI, IMA, transactions, assets, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Rest of the World; Foreign Direct Investment in U.S.: Equity; Asset (Market Value), Transactions (BOGZ1FU263092141A) from 1946 to 2024 about FDI, market value, equity, transactions, assets, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Rest of the World; Foreign Direct Investment in U.S.; Asset (Current Cost), Transactions (ROWFDIA027N) from 1946 to 2024 about FDI, IMA, transactions, assets, and USA.

In the last 20 years, the amount of FDI into the United States has more than doubled. In 2000, FDI was 1.26 trillion U.S. dollars, rising to 5.39 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an investment from a company in one country into a company or entity located in another country. While the United States receives huge amounts of FDI each year, it also invests large amounts in other countries. For example, in 2020 the United States invested over 890 billon U.S. dollars in the United Kingdom and another 843.95 billion U.S. dollars in the Netherlands.

In 2022, foreign direct investment (FDI) from the United States to other countries amounted to 6.58 trillion U.S. dollars. Foreign direct investment reflects the ownership of business from one country in another country. It differs from a traditional investment in companies located abroad by the ownership factor in case of FDI.

Why is FDI important?

FDI has influences in the both the sending and receiving countries. In the recipient countries, FDI can be an important source of capital that might not otherwise be available. This is particularly true in less developed regions, such as in Africa. The countries which received the largest amount of foreign direct investment from the United States in 2019 were the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Luxembourg.

FDI flows to the United States

On the other hand, the countries that sent the most FDI to the United States in 2017 were Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada. There were about 8.7 million jobs offered in the U.S. due to foreign direct investments as of 2019.

U.S. foreign direct investment for 2023 was 348.78 billion US dollars, a 14.72% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>U.S. foreign direct investment for 2022 was <strong>408.98 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>14.04% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>U.S. foreign direct investment for 2021 was <strong>475.81 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>247.14% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>U.S. foreign direct investment for 2020 was <strong>137.07 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>56.62% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in the reporting 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. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Key information about United States Foreign Direct Investment: % of GDP

• United States Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) registered a growth equal to 1.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2024, compared with a growth equal to 1.7 % in the previous quarter.
• US Foreign Direct Investment: % of Nominal GDP data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1960 to Sep 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 6.2 % in Jun 1999 and a record low -1.7 % in Mar 2014.

• In the latest reports of US, Current Account recorded a deficit of 310.9 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 96.6 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• US Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 96.8 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 637.6 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 6,632.4 USD bn in Mar 2023.

In 2022, no country had a higher foreign direct investment (FDI) position in the United States than Japan, followed by the United Kingdom and Canada. At that time, Japan had over 711 billion U.S. dollars invested in the United States.

What is FDI?

FDI is an international investment, in this case when a foreign firm or individual invests in a business in the United States. The worldwide value of FDI flows is immense, which is a result of the increasing connectedness of world financial markets. In this statistic, we see countries that are connected to the U.S. for historic and geographic reasons, such as the UK and Canada respectively, investing large sums of money in U.S. enterprises. The countries which received the most FDI from the United States in 2022 were the Netherlands, the UK, and Luxembourg.

The effects of FDI

Foreign direct investment, like any increase in capital, leads to a higher number of jobs. The economy of the target country grows, and the investing country generally earns a good rate of return. Critics of FDI worry that it opens companies to the influence of foreign individuals and firms.

In 2023, the U.S. investments made in Europe were valued at approximately 3.95 trillion U.S. dollars. The total direct position of the United States abroad amounted to 6.58 trillion U.S. dollars in that year.

The United Kingdom received the most direct investment from the United States in 2022, an amount exceeding one trillion U.S. dollars. This measurement was based on a historical-cost basis, meaning that the original cost of investment has been adjusted for inflation.

What is foreign direct investment?

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is the amount that foreign speculators invests in firms in another country. Investors from the United States have trillions of U.S. dollars in FDI invested abroad. This gives firms in those countries access to capital that they might not have otherwise enjoyed, particularly if the firms are in developing regions such as Africa. The United States is also a target country for FDI, with hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars flowing into the United States every year.

Benefits and risks

FDI generally increases the size of both economies. The host country has an inflow in capital, which should lead to a higher number of jobs and increased productivity. The investing company should benefit from the dividends of such investments. However, any investment has default risks. These risks are magnified by the regulatory uncertainty that arises from the fact that two legal systems are involved. This can lead to political pressure, particularly if trade tensions are already high.

This statistic shows the direct investment position of the United States in China from 2000 to 2023, on a historical-cost basis. In 2023, the U.S. investments made in China were valued at 126.91 billion U.S. dollars. Direct investment position of the United States - additional information Foreign direct investment (FDI), simply put, is an investment of one company into another company located in a different country. It differs from a traditional way of investing into shares of foreign companies listed on a stock exchange. The companies which make foreign direct investment usually own a part of the company in which they invest and they have influence on the decision making process. In the United States, FDI is defined as an American investor (called the U.S. parent) owning a minimum of 10 percent of a foreign firm (known as a foreign affiliate). The total direct position of the United States abroad amounted to 6.68 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. Although the phenomenon profits greatly from the technological advances of the 21st century, as well as from the cultural flexibility of today’s workforce, FDI has a long history, going back to the colonial empires. Not without critics, FDI is generally believed to bring advantages to the investing company, such as access to new markets and decreased costs of labor, materials and production facilities. The local economy can benefit from an infusion of capital, access to new technologies and engagement of native labor pool. There are three recognized types of foreign direct investment, namely horizontal FDI, platform FDI and vertical FDI, along with various methods of implementing the investment itself. FDI considered by many one of the motors of worldwide economic growth. U.S. foreign investment abroad has seen a dramatic growth in the past decades. Multinational American corporations, especially focused on manufacturing, have largely invested in facilities overseas, due to financial benefits. However, a large share of these corporations focuses toward not only supplying the U.S. market, but also the local markets in which they operate. In 2020, the country that received the largest amount of U.S. foreign investment was the United Kingdom, with a little over one trillion U.S. dollars, followed by the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Overall, the total amount of U.S. dollars invested in European states in 2021 reached 3.98 trillion U.S. dollars compared to 2.25 trillion U.S. dollars a decade prior.

This dataset provides values for FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

United States Foreign Direct Investment: Europe: Netherlands data was reported at 7.501 USD bn in Dec 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.682 USD bn for Sep 2024. United States Foreign Direct Investment: Europe: Netherlands data is updated quarterly, averaging 4.702 USD bn from Mar 1994 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 124 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 61.482 USD bn in Jun 2018 and a record low of -14.137 USD bn in Dec 2007. United States Foreign Direct Investment: Europe: Netherlands data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.O004: Foreign Direct Investment: by Country and Region: Flow.

In 2023, the foreign direct investments from Asia Pacific in the United States amounted to approximately 988.75 billion U.S. dollars. The total foreign direct investments in the U.S. were valued at approximately 5.39 billion U.S. dollars in that year.

In 2023, the foreign direct investments from India in the United States amounted to approximately 4.66 billion U.S. dollars. The total foreign direct investments in the U.S. were valued at approximately 5.39 trillion U.S. dollars in that year.

This statistic shows foreign direct investments of NAFTA countries into the United States from 1994 to 2019. In 2019, there was approximately 496 billion U.S. dollars worth of direct investments in the U.S. from Canada.

Foreign holdings of U.S. securities, and U.S. holdings of foreign securities. Major foreign holders of US Securities. Monthly Holdings of U.S. Long-term Securities at Current Market Value by Foreign Residents. Monthly Holdings of Foreign Long-term Securities at Current Market Value by U.S. Residents. Includes: Total holdings by all U.S. residents; by type, holder and issuer. U.S. holdings by country of issuer (files include both recent and historical data). Monthly Holdings of Short-term Debt. Types of foreign portfolio investment in the United States (quarterly). Total U.S. banking & securities liabilities to foreign residents

Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in United States was reported at 1.2582 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$) in United States was reported at 454084000000 USD in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.