Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Japan

Japan: Foreign direct investment, net outflows was 217.76 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
217.76 billion BoP, current US$
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
2nd
of 191 countries
All-time high
258.28 billion BoP, current US$
in 2019
All-time low
355.00 million BoP, current US$
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025

Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Japan, 1970–2025

0100.0B200.0B300.0B197019972025

Source: Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D. Measured in BoP, current US$.

Analysis

In 2025, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Japan stood at 217.76 billion BoP, current US$.

That represents a change of up 5.0% on the previous year and up 57.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows in Japan peaked at 258.28 billion BoP, current US$ in 2019 and was at its lowest, 355.00 million BoP, current US$, in 1970.

Japan ranks 2nd of 191 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.60 billion BoP, current US$ 355.00 million BoP, current US$ 2.90 billion BoP, current US$ 10
1980s 14.40 billion BoP, current US$ 2.38 billion BoP, current US$ 46.25 billion BoP, current US$ 10
1990s 24.88 billion BoP, current US$ 13.91 billion BoP, current US$ 50.77 billion BoP, current US$ 10
2000s 55.68 billion BoP, current US$ 30.90 billion BoP, current US$ 113.64 billion BoP, current US$ 10
2010s 151.70 billion BoP, current US$ 79.66 billion BoP, current US$ 258.28 billion BoP, current US$ 10
2020s 192.83 billion BoP, current US$ 150.12 billion BoP, current US$ 217.76 billion BoP, current US$ 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 1 United States 422.23 billion BoP, current US$ compare
  2. 3 China 157.21 billion BoP, current US$ compare
  3. 4 Luxembourg 108.60 billion BoP, current US$ compare
  4. 5 Germany 108.13 billion BoP, current US$ compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

More economy & growth data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is foreign direct investment, net outflows in Japan?
Foreign direct investment, net outflows in Japan was 217.76 billion BoP, current US$ in 2025, according to Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D.
What is the highest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 258.28 billion BoP, current US$ in 2019.
What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 355.00 million BoP, current US$ in 1970.
How does Japan rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows?
Japan ranks 2nd out of 191 countries with data for 2025.
Is foreign direct investment, net outflows rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 57.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$)
Unit
BoP, current US$
Source
Balance of Payments database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), note: International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and D
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
238 places, 10,019 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in an economy. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, and other capital. Direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the ordinary shares of voting stock is the criterion for determining the existence of a direct investment relationship. This series shows net outflows of investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world. Data are in current U.S. dollars.