Inward and outward FDI stocks as a share of GDP in the EU 2005-2022

Foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks have increased considerably as a share of the EU's GDP, both in terms of outward (from the EU to the rest of the world) and inward (into the EU) foreign investment, since 2005. Outward FDI stocks from the EU are now worth an amount equivalent to 81 percent of the EU's gross domestic product, while inward stocks in the EU were worth 71% of its GDP. FDI stocks in the EU peaked in 2019, when outward stocks were worth 92 percent of the EU's GDP, since which these stocks have seen a gradual decline, reflecting the difficult global economic environment in light of the coronavirus pandemic and geopolitical instability.