Countries in Europe by foreign investment
Net inflows of foreign direct investment — foreigners buying or building lasting stakes in companies — as a share of GDP. Below zero, more was withdrawn than came in. 41 countries in Europe, highest first. World Bank, mostly 2025
Median country
1.9%
half above, half below| # | Country | % of GDP | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Malta | 170.1% | 2024 | Southern Europe |
| 2 |  Ireland | 10.4% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 3 |  Montenegro | 7.3% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 4 |  Albania | 6.1% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 5 |  Andorra | 6.0% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 6 |  Greece | 4.8% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 7 |  Serbia | 3.9% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| =8 |  Bulgaria | 3.7% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| =8 |  Denmark | 3.7% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| =10 |  North Macedonia | 3.5% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| =10 |  Portugal | 3.5% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 12 |  Lithuania | 3.2% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 13 |  Croatia | 2.8% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 14 |  Czechia | 2.7% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| =15 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.6% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| =15 |  Sweden | 2.6% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| =17 |  Moldova | 2.3% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| =17 |  Slovenia | 2.3% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 19 |  Romania | 2.2% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 20 |  Poland | 2.0% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 21 |  Germany | 1.9% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| =22 |  Belarus | 1.8% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| =22 |  France | 1.8% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 24 |  Spain | 1.5% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 25 |  Slovakia | 1.3% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 26 |  United Kingdom | 0.9% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| =27 |  Latvia | 0.8% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| =27 |  Ukraine | 0.8% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 29 |  Russia | 0.4% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 30 |  Netherlands | 0.3% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 31 |  Finland | 0.1% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| =32 |  Italy | 0.0% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| =32 |  Switzerland | 0.0% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 34 |  San Marino | -0.9% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| 35 |  Norway | -1.3% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 36 |  Austria | -2.0% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| =37 |  Estonia | -2.2% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| =37 |  Iceland | -2.2% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 39 |  Belgium | -4.0% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 40 |  Hungary | -28.4% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 41 |  Luxembourg | -92.8% | 2025 | Western Europe |
No World Bank figure for 3 countries: Liechtenstein, Monaco, Vatican City.
Questions
- Which country in Europe has the most foreign investment for the size of its economy?
- Malta has the most foreign investment for the size of its economy in Europe: 170.1% of GDP (2024). Next come Ireland (10.4% of GDP) and Montenegro (7.3% of GDP).
- Which country in Europe has the least foreign investment for the size of its economy?
- Luxembourg, with -92.8% of GDP (2025).
- What is the typical foreign investment of a country in Europe?
- The median of the 41 countries in Europe is 1.9% of GDP: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- Net inflows of foreign direct investment — foreigners buying or building lasting stakes in companies — as a share of GDP. Below zero, more was withdrawn than came in. Source: World Bank, mostly 2025. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.