Gabon: Foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2015, Gabon's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) rose US$757.72 million on 2014 (from −US$782.97 million to −US$25.25 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2014), the average change was −US$7.57 million and a typical year strayed about US$382.86 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$1.33 billion in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was US$951.33 million in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2007 to 2015 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Gabon in the 2015 ranking

• Yemen, Rep. — 1st of 2: US$15.44 million

What this measures

Foreign 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 voting power is evidence of a direct investment relationship. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

All 37 values

Foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — −US$2.09 billion (2025)
• Benin — −US$429.95 million (2023)
• Botswana — US$773.32 million (2025)
• Burkina Faso — US$259.26 million (2024)
• Burundi — −US$31.21 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — −US$128.14 million (2025)
• Cameroon — −US$824.8 million (2024)
• Comoros — −US$5.35 million (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — −US$1.87 billion (2025)
• Congo, Rep.

More economic policy & debt data for Gabon

• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$2.39 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 1.39 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$1.91 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 992.1 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 11.16% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$5.93 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 2.77 trillion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure per capita (constant 2015 US$)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Gabon's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP)?

−US$25.25 million in 2015, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is up 55.34% from −US$56.55 million in 1978. The highest value was US$491.38 million in 1996 and the lowest −US$1.1 billion in 2011.

Is the latest change in foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) unusual for Gabon?

In 2015, Gabon's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) rose US$757.72 million on 2014 (from −US$782.97 million to −US$25.25 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2014), the average change was −US$7.57 million and a typical year strayed about US$382.86 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.KLT.DINV.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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