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: 45.4% of GDP (2025). Next come Guyana (33.1% of GDP) and Chile (4.1% of GDP).

Which country in South America has the least foreign investment for the size of its economy?

Venezuela, 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 Below zero, more was withdrawn than came in.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, 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.

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 Below zero, more was withdrawn than came in. 12 countries in South America, highest first.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, 2025

See it on the map

Map: Foreign investment — South America — **0.1%**1%**1.8%2.4%3.7%6.8%**No data

Highest

45.4%

Suriname

Median country

2.5%

half above, half below

Lowest

-0.5%

Venezuela

Countries in South America by foreign investment, World Bank, 2025
#	Country	% of GDP	Region
1	Suriname	45.4%	South America
2	Guyana	33.1%	South America
3	Chile	4.1%	South America
4	Brazil	3.4%	South America
5	Peru	3.1%	South America
6	Colombia	2.5%	South America
7	Paraguay	2.4%	South America
8	Uruguay	2.3%	South America
9	Ecuador	1.0%	South America
10	Bolivia	0.8%	South America
11	Argentina	0.6%	South America
12	Venezuela	-0.5%	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: 45.4% of GDP (2025). Next come Guyana (33.1% of GDP) and Chile (4.1% of GDP).
Which country in South America has the least foreign investment for the size of its economy?: Venezuela, 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, 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.