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 Below zero, more was withdrawn than came in. 41 countries in Europe, highest first.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 |  Montenegro | 7.3% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 3 |  Andorra | 6.6% | 2024 | Southern Europe |
| 4 |  Albania | 6.1% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 5 |  Croatia | 4.9% | 2024 | Southern Europe |
| =6 |  Denmark | 4.3% | 2024 | Northern Europe |
| =6 |  Portugal | 4.3% | 2024 | Southern Europe |
| 8 |  Serbia | 3.9% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 9 |  Bulgaria | 3.7% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 10 |  North Macedonia | 3.5% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 11 |  Lithuania | 3.2% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 12 |  Sweden | 2.9% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 13 |  Czechia | 2.7% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 14 |  Greece | 2.6% | 2024 | Southern Europe |
| =15 |  Moldova | 2.3% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| =15 |  Slovenia | 2.3% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| =17 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.2% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| =17 |  France | 2.2% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| =17 |  Romania | 2.2% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 20 |  Ukraine | 2.1% | 2024 | Eastern Europe |
| =21 |  Germany | 1.9% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| =21 |  Poland | 1.9% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| =21 |  United Kingdom | 1.9% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 24 |  Belarus | 1.7% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 25 |  Spain | 1.5% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 26 |  Slovakia | 1.3% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 27 |  Russia | 0.9% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 28 |  Ireland | 0.8% | 2024 | Northern Europe |
| 29 |  Latvia | 0.5% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 30 |  Italy | 0.0% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 31 |  Finland | -0.1% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 32 |  Iceland | -0.5% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 33 |  San Marino | -0.9% | 2023 | Southern Europe |
| 34 |  Switzerland | -1.2% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 35 |  Netherlands | -1.4% | 2024 | Western Europe |
| 36 |  Norway | -1.5% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 37 |  Estonia | -1.8% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 38 |  Austria | -2.0% | 2025 | Western 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 Montenegro (7.3% of GDP) and Andorra (6.6% 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.