Japan's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) was US$171.95 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 29.13% from US$133.16 billion in 2015 (2.59% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$171.95 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | US$87.53 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | US$133.16 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | US$218.32 billion | 2019 |
| Lowest | US$9.48 billion | 1999 |
| Average since 2016 | US$157.24 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | US$26.44 billion |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Japan's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) fell 8.8% on 2024 (from US$188.59 billion to US$171.95 billion).
Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2024), the average change was +18.3% and a typical year strayed about 60.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 262.2% in 2000 and the biggest yearly fall was 59.9% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 8% of the movement over 10 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.
How it compares
In 2025, Japan had the 2nd highest value of the 136 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Japan in the 2025 ranking
- Luxembourg — 1st of 136: US$224.52 billion
- Netherlands — 3rd of 136: US$117.36 billion
- United States — 4th of 136: US$82.58 billion
- China — 5th of 136: US$77.23 billion
What this measures
Foreign direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the voting power is evidence of a direct investment relationship. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
All 30 values
| Year | Foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 171,951,008,341 |
| 2024 | 188,585,213,060 |
| 2023 | 177,013,943,130 |
| 2022 | 126,789,609,309 |
| 2021 | 174,664,675,618 |
| 2020 | 87,533,471,953 |
| 2019 | 218,323,780,736 |
| 2018 | 134,928,938,194 |
| 2017 | 154,947,985,696 |
| 2016 | 137,656,207,444 |
Foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies
- Australia — −US$44.19 billion (2025)
- Brunei Darussalam — −US$157.23 million (2025)
- Cambodia — −US$4.96 billion (2025)
- China — US$77.23 billion (2025)
- Fiji — −US$178.04 million (2024)
- French Polynesia — −US$37.32 million (2016)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — −US$21.13 billion (2025)
- Indonesia — −US$14.55 billion (2025)
- Kiribati — −US$4.14 million (2025)
- Korea, Rep.
More economic policy & debt data for Japan
- Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$1.37 trillion (2025)
- Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$1.25 trillion (2025)
- GDP (current US$) — US$4.44 trillion (2025)
- GDP (current LCU) — 663.76 trillion (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$4.76 trillion (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU) — 591.22 trillion (2025)
- GDP per capita (current US$) — US$35,951 (2025)
- GDP per capita (current LCU) — 5.38 million (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$38,619 (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 4.79 million (2025)
- GNI (current US$)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Japan's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP)?
- US$171.95 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1996?
- It is up 550.33% from US$26.44 billion in 1996 (6.67% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$218.32 billion in 2019 and the lowest US$9.48 billion in 1999.
- How does Japan rank?
- 2nd highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) unusual for Japan?
- In 2025, Japan's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) fell 8.8% on 2024 (from US$188.59 billion to US$171.95 billion). Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2024), the average change was +18.3% and a typical year strayed about 60.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
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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