A report has shown how global greenfield Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs)—that is,
FDIs in foreign countries—performed last year across various sectors.
In 2024, global FDIs reached at least $1.23tn, driven by large-scale projects in energy,
technology, and infrastructure. According to fDi Intelligence, renewable energy
remained the top sector, attracting $258bn despite a 30% decline. Also, solar which got
($84bn) did better than wind ($40bn). Investments in Liquefied Natural Gas and
Compressed Natural Gas (LNG/CNG) hit a record $57bn, while oil and gas extraction
FDI fell to $17.5bn.
Data centres saw strong investment growth as they received over $144bn due to rising
demand from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud computing. Semiconductors attracted
nearly $120bn, supported by major subsidy-backed projects across the US, Europe,
Singapore, and Japan. The automotive sector also recorded high FDI, though
investment in battery manufacturing fell sharply to below $20bn from its 2022 high of
nearly $74bn.
On the other hand, real estate, transportation, and metals saw FDI declines, but
software and IT services bounced back and re-entered the top ten. Early data suggests
that mega projects worth $1bn or more remained high at 121, though below 2023’s
record 174. With an average capital expenditure of $77.3m per project, 2024 marked
another strong year for greenfield investments, and this shows a global push towards
digitalisation, energy transition, and strategic industrial capacity.