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Charted: The Top 10 Sectors for FDI in 2024
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Key Takeaways
- The top 10 sectors attracted $1 trillion in FDI in 2024
- Renewable energy led with 27% of the total FDI across the top 10, followed by the communications sector
- The Asia-Pacific region was the biggest recipient of foreign investment in 2024
Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows provide a picture of which industries global investors believe have the strongest growth potential.
In 2024, the top 10 sectors for FDI accounted for $1 trillion in foreign investments.
This chart ranks the top 10 sectors by total FDI inflows in 2024, based on data on greenfield investments from The fDi Report 2025.
Clean Energy Remains the Top FDI Sector
Renewable energy led all sectors with $270.1 billion in FDI in 2024, accounting for 27% of the global total. However, inflows in the sector declined by $103 billion from 2023 levels, with wind projects seeing a $33 billion decrease year-over-year.
Here’s the full ranking of the top 10 FDI sectors in 2024:
| Rank | Sector | FDI in 2024 | Share of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renewable Energy | $270.1B | 27.0% |
| 2 | Communications | $165.7B | 16.6% |
| 3 | Semiconductors | $120.3B | 12.0% |
| 4 | Real Estate | $92.2B | 9.2% |
| 5 | Coal, Oil, & Gas | $89.1B | 8.9% |
| 6 | Metals | $72.8B | 7.3% |
| 7 | Transportation & Warehousing | $54.6B | 5.5% |
| 8 | Electronic Components | $49.3B | 4.9% |
| 9 | Software & IT Services | $47.5B | 4.7% |
| 10 | Automotive OEM | $38.7B | 3.9% |
| - | Total | $1,000.3B | 100.0% |
Communications follows as the second-largest sector by FDI inflows in 2024, with total FDI increasing by nearly 84% compared to 2023. Data centers were the main attraction within this sector, accounting for $146.9 billion in FDI.
Meanwhile, foreign investment in semiconductors more than doubled in 2024. The sector is highly capital-intensive, with the average semiconductor FDI project representing over $823 million in value.
The real estate sector attracted $92.2 billion in FDI across more than 1,000 projects, up 9.2% year-over-year and marking the highest figure since 2018.
Together with renewables, the coal, oil, and gas sector makes energy the biggest overall theme for foreign investment in 2024, with energy-related projects making up around 36% of the total. However, FDI in coal, oil, and gas declined by around 15% in 2024.
Foreign investment in the electronic components sector saw the biggest fall, recording a 55% decrease from 2023. This decline was largely attributable to a sharp fall in investments in the battery sub-sector.
Which Regions Received the Most FDI?
The Asia-Pacific region was the largest recipient of foreign investment in 2024, accounting for over $393 billion in FDI. India was the leading destination for FDI in the region, with over 1,000 projects attracting an estimated $108.6 billion.
Europe ranks second with around $311 billion in FDI, followed by North America at $268 billion. Foreign investment in North America grew by 61.1% in 2024, with the semiconductor sector alone accounting for $74.6 billion in FDI inflows.
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