UNCTAD: $5 Billion FDI Inflow to Iran in 2017

The inward flow of foreign direct investment into Iran registered an increase of almost 50% in 2017 compared to the year before and exceeded $5 billion, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Based on data published in the World Investment Report 2018, the entity put Iran’s FDI inflow at $5.01 billion in 2017, which was higher by 48.8% compared to $3.37 billion in 2016.
Iran had seen respective FDI inflows of $2.05 billion and $2.10 billion during 2015 and 2014 while the same numbers for 2013 and 2012 were registered at $3.05 billion and $4.66 billion respectively.
A comparison of numbers with Iran’s neighbors indicates stark differences. For instance, at $10.86 billion, Turkey attracted more than double in FDI compared to Iran while the number is indicative of a notable decrease since the country had absorbed $12.94 billion and $17.71 billion in 2016 and 2015 respectively.