United Arab Emirates: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, United Arab Emirates' foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) rose 2.39 percentage points on 2023 (from 5.87% to 8.26%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.17 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.45 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 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 3.34 percentage points in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.9 percentage points in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.58 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 81% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2024, United Arab Emirates had the 2nd highest value of the 10 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 United Arab Emirates in the 2024 ranking

• Cayman Islands — 1st of 10: 40.92%
• Lebanon — 3rd of 10: 6.79%
• New Caledonia — 4th of 10: 5.91%
• Curaçao — 5th of 10: 4.35%

What this measures

Foreign direct investment is the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows net inflows (new investment inflows less disinvestment) in the reporting economy from foreign investors, and is divided by GDP.

Limitations: FDI data do not give a complete picture of international investment in an economy. Balance of payments data on FDI do not include capital raised locally, an important source of investment financing in some developing countries. In addition, FDI data omit nonequity cross-border transactions such as intra-unit flows of goods and services. The volume of global private financial flows reported by the World Bank generally differs from that reported by other sources because of differences in sources, classification of economies, and method used to adjust and disaggregate reported information.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 55 values

Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 0.14% (2021)
• Algeria — 0.54% (2025)
• Bahrain — 1.68% (2025)
• Djibouti — 3.22% (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 4.23% (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 0.45% (2025)
• Iraq — -2.99% (2025)
• Israel — 4.3% (2025)
• Jordan — 3.28% (2025)
• Kuwait

More economic policy & debt data for United Arab Emirates

• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$48.24 billion (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$552.33 billion (2024)
• GDP (current LCU) — 2.03 trillion (2024)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$457.09 billion (2024)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 1.78 trillion (2024)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$50,274 (2024)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 184,629 (2024)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$41,605 (2024)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 161,699 (2024)
• GNI (current US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is United Arab Emirates's foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP)?

8.26% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 7.13 percentage points from 1.13% in 1970. The highest value was 8.26% in 2024 and the lowest -1.17% in 1999.

How does United Arab Emirates rank?

2nd highest of 10 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) unusual for United Arab Emirates?

In 2024, United Arab Emirates' foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) rose 2.39 percentage points on 2023 (from 5.87% to 8.26%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.17 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.45 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BX.KLT.DINV.WD.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF); International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB); World Bank GDP estimates, World Bank (WB); OECD GDP estimates, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 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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