UAE received $20.7 billion in Foreign Direct Investment in 2021, recording a 3.9 percent growth over 2020.
The country’s FDI balance now stands at AED 630 billion ($171.6 billion) by the end of 2021, a 13.7 percent growth over 2020.
Over the past ten years, FDI inflows into the country have grown by 116 percent, while the total balance of those investments during the same period grew by 113 percent.
UAE’s outward FDI flows reached nearly AED 82.6 billion ($22.5 billion) in 2021, with an annual growth of 19.1 percent. They grew by 789 percent over the past ten years, which led to an increase in the UAE’s investments in foreign markets to reach nearly AED 830.5 billion ($226.3 billion) by the end of 2021, with a growth of 11.1 percent compared to the end of 2020.
In terms of its ability to attract FDI, the UAE advanced by nine ranks in 2020 compared to 2019 and ranked 15th globally. At the same time, it advanced six positions globally in terms of outward FDI flows to rank first in the Arab world and 13 globally, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2021.
The UAE also ranked first in the Arab world and 15th globally in the Kearney’s FDI Confidence Index for the year 2021, advancing four places compared to the year 2020, thus outperforming a number of major global economies such as Singapore, Australia, Portugal, Denmark, Ireland, Brazil and Finland in the general ranking of the index.
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, said the results “prove the strength and flexibility of the UAE’s economy and the attractiveness of its business and investment environment once again”.