Sources of FDI into the UK
There is no shortage of statistics reflecting the importance of the USA’s FDI to the UK’s economy. Recent ONS figures show that £35.2 billion of the UK’s total £97.9 billion of earnings from inward FDI came from the USA in 2022.
According to EY, the United States remained as Europe’s and the UK’s leading source of FDI projects in 2023, with their analysis suggesting that more than one-in-five of all UK FDI projects originated from the States.
The DBT’s recently published figures paint a similar picture, with the United States generating 376 FDI projects in the UK during 23/24, creating 19,340 jobs. India is next with 108 projects, however Germany’s 90 projects created slightly more jobs than India.
Six of the top 20 leading jurisdictions investing into the UK are based in the EU, and the EU remains the UK's largest trading partner by some distance. There are signs that the new government is keen to reset and foster its relationship with the bloc, with PM Sir Keir Starmer holding his first bilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Whilst the strength of this relationship is built on the export and import of goods and services, rather than FDI specifically, an improved UK/EU relationship makes the UK a much more attractive destination for businesses to set up in and trade with the EU from.
Across the world, other countries – many with similarly long histories and relationships with the UK – are keen to invest. They bring with them chances for knowledge sharing and the development of a truly multicultural global market. We’ve summarised eight of the top 20 leading jurisdictions for FDI into the UK, based on data from the Office for National Statistics data from 2021.
Click on the markers on the map below to learn more about some of the leading countries investing in the UK.