UAE tops again Greenfield FDI Performance Index
A. SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI) The UAE was once again the world's top performer for attracting foreign direct investment relative to the size of its economy in 2024, leading the 10th edition of fDi Intelligence's Greenfield FDI Performance Index. The ranking covers 105 countries; 85 posted an index score above 1.0, meaning their share of global greenfield projects was larger than their share of global GDP, while 20 scored below 1.0. Investor confidence in the UAE 'remained strong', with a score of 14.26 indicating the country received more than fourteen times the project volume one might expect given its GDP, fDi Intelligence's report said. Although project numbers grew a modest 1.8% last year, the UAE ranked as the second-most popular FDI destination globally for inbound projects, behind the US.Business services, tech and financial services remained the leading FDI sectors, with financial services showing particularly strong project growth; transportation and warehousing, communications and consumer products also saw notable upticks. 'The UAE has many initiatives geared towards becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence,' fDi Intelligence report said. Artificial intelligence, cyber security and cloud computing continued to be key themes, underpinned by national strategies such as Artificial Intelligence 2031 and Centennial 2071. Recent announcements include Microsoft's plan for a global engineering development centre in Abu Dhabi and a 2025 move to build sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure with G42. The report has credited the achievements to the sound policy matrix of the country. 'The UAE has transformed FDI into a major opportunity for economic diversification. Its overall FDI success is also due to its pro-business environment, its relative stability in an otherwise turbulent region and its nonaligned foreign policy, which keeps the doors open to any investor from the East and West alike,' the report said. A recent Emirates NBD report said the UAE has reported 613 greenfield projects with capital inflows of $5.42 billion in the first half of 2025, setting the stage for another year of success. Beyond the UAE, several countries recorded striking improvements. Malta was the highest climber, jumping 50 places to 33rd, part of a cohort of smaller economies — among them El Salvador, Iceland, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Laos and Namibia—whose modest base magnified gains as offerings to foreign investors improved. Qatar's momentum stood out: inbound project numbers almost doubled from 2023, lifting it into the top 15 alongside Bahrain, where inbound FDI projects rose by almost 50%. Canada also surged, climbing 17 places to a record index score of 1.51 on the back of all-time-high inbound volumes.
On the other side of the ledger, Uganda was the biggest decliner, dropping 43 places amid a fall in inbound projects and an 8.7% expansion in GDP that diluted its index position. Germany fell 14 spots as macroeconomic headwinds and energy-price shocks weighed on investor sentiment, pushing 2024 project counts to a 10-year low.
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