Countries in South America 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 Below zero, more was withdrawn than came in. 12 countries in South America, highest first. World Bank, mostly 2025
Median country
2.5%
half above, half below| # | Country | % of GDP | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Suriname | 45.1% | 2025 | South America |
| 2 |  Guyana | 35.0% | 2024 | South America |
| 3 |  Chile | 4.1% | 2025 | South America |
| 4 |  Brazil | 3.4% | 2025 | South America |
| 5 |  Peru | 3.1% | 2025 | South America |
| 6 |  Colombia | 2.5% | 2025 | South America |
| 7 |  Paraguay | 2.4% | 2025 | South America |
| 8 |  Venezuela | 1.4% | 2024 | South America |
| 9 |  Uruguay | 1.3% | 2025 | South America |
| =10 |  Bolivia | 1.0% | 2025 | South America |
| =10 |  Ecuador | 1.0% | 2025 | South America |
| 12 |  Argentina | 0.5% | 2025 | South America |
Questions
- Which country in South America has the most foreign investment for the size of its economy?
- Suriname has the most foreign investment for the size of its economy in South America: 45.1% of GDP (2025). Next come Guyana (35.0% of GDP) and Chile (4.1% of GDP).
- Which country in South America has the least foreign investment for the size of its economy?
- Argentina, with 0.5% of GDP (2025).
- What is the typical foreign investment of a country in South America?
- The median of the 12 countries in South America is 2.5% 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 Below zero, more was withdrawn than came in.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.