Global FDI up by 6% in 2020 despite pandemic

The global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) position witnessed an expansion of US$ 2.2 trillion in 2020 when compared with 2019, an increase led by Europe and the Asia Pacific region.

The Coordinated Direct Investment Survey (CDIS) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revealed that global FDI in 2020 surged by 6 percent from 2019 despite the pandemic.

According to the survey, in Europe, the United Kingdom and Germany topped the list, accounting for 18 percent and 15 percent, whereas in the Asia Pacific, the increase was mainly driven by China.

“In fact, China showed the largest reported increase in both inward and outward direct investment worldwide,” the IMF said in its survey findings.

The United States however took the top position as the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in 2019 and consolidated that position in 2020 with higher direct investments from Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands.