United Kingdom's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) was −US$28.16 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 73.31% from −US$105.51 billion in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | −US$28.16 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | −US$140.8 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | −US$105.51 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | US$160.88 billion | 2007 |
| Lowest | −US$291.9 billion | 2016 |
| Average since 2016 | −US$42.04 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | US$189.6 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, United Kingdom's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) rose US$31.39 billion on 2024 (from −US$59.54 billion to −US$28.16 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −US$2.79 billion and a typical year strayed about US$111.96 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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$338.59 billion in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was US$186.39 billion in 2016. 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 14% 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, United Kingdom had the 132nd 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 United Kingdom in the 2025 ranking
- Russian Federation — 129th of 136: −US$16.59 billion
- Hong Kong SAR, China — 130th of 136: −US$21.13 billion
- Viet Nam — 131st of 136: −US$21.29 billion
- Mexico — 133rd of 136: −US$31.6 billion
- Australia — 134th of 136: −US$44.19 billion
- Brazil — 135th of 136: −US$47.5 billion
What this measures
Foreign direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the voting power is evidence of a direct investment relationship. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
All 56 values
| Year | Foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -28,156,293,302 |
| 2024 | -59,544,686,685 |
| 2023 | 16,417,597,433 |
| 2022 | 50,849,584,601 |
| 2021 | 30,878,657,103 |
| 2020 | -140,797,136,683 |
| 2019 | -41,289,065,813 |
| 2018 | -3,576,693,950 |
| 2017 | 46,685,075,527 |
| 2016 | -291,904,952,185 |
Foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies
- Albania — −US$1.51 billion (2025)
- Armenia — −US$634.02 million (2025)
- Austria — US$5.61 billion (2025)
- Azerbaijan — US$536.02 million (2025)
- Belarus — −US$1.28 billion (2025)
- Belgium — US$14.93 billion (2025)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — −US$717.2 million (2025)
- Bulgaria — −US$3.37 billion (2025)
- Croatia — −US$3.41 billion (2025)
- Cyprus
More economic policy & debt data for United Kingdom
- Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$214.36 billion (2025)
- Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$170.78 billion (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$849.56 billion (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 645.22 billion (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 21.23% (2025)
- Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$2.42 trillion (2025)
- Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 1.84 trillion (2025)
- Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (% of GDP)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is United Kingdom's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP)?
- −US$28.16 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1970?
- It is down 14,950% from US$189.6 million in 1970. The highest value was US$160.88 billion in 2007 and the lowest −US$291.9 billion in 2016.
- How does United Kingdom rank?
- 132nd highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) unusual for United Kingdom?
- In 2025, United Kingdom's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) rose US$31.39 billion on 2024 (from −US$59.54 billion to −US$28.16 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −US$2.79 billion and a typical year strayed about US$111.96 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in