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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Myanmar's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) rose US$32.61 million on 2018 (from −US$1.77 billion to −US$1.74 billion).

Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2018), the average change was −US$60.7 million and a typical year strayed about US$866.03 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 US$3.04 billion in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was US$1.91 billion in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 13% 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.

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 31 values

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)
• Japan — US$171.95 billion (2025)
• Kiribati

More economic policy & debt data for Myanmar

• GDP (current US$) — US$81.67 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 171.5 trillion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$61.87 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 75.47 trillion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$1,489 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 3.13 million (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$1,128 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 1.38 million (2025)
• GNI (current US$) — US$79.99 billion (2025)
• GNI (current LCU) — 167.97 trillion (2025)
• GNI per capita (current LCU) — 3.06 million (2025)

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Questions people ask

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

−US$1.74 billion in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1989?

It is down 22,132% from −US$7.81 million in 1989. The highest value was −US$7.81 million in 1989 and the lowest −US$4.8 billion in 2017.

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

In 2019, Myanmar's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) rose US$32.61 million on 2018 (from −US$1.77 billion to −US$1.74 billion). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2018), the average change was −US$60.7 million and a typical year strayed about US$866.03 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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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