Australia investment hub
Who invests in Australia — and where Australia invests
Foreign direct investment in Australia, 2025
A$1.30 tn
Total foreign investment in Australia, 2025
A$5.12 tn
Australian direct investment abroad, 2025
A$1.22 tn
Total Australian investment abroad, 2025
A$4.48 tn
Trend
Two-way direct investment
Stock of direct investment at 31 December, A$. Top three investors (United States, Japan, United Kingdom) hold 44% of foreign direct investment in Australia. Direct investment income paid to foreign investors in 2025: A$67.5 bn.
- Foreign direct investment in Australia
- Australian direct investment abroad
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Partner economies
Every investor, every destination
Switch direction and type of investment, sort by growth, search for any economy and download the table. Click a row for the full two-way investment brief.
| # | 2015–2025 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | A$258 bn | 19.8% | +10.0% | 5.7% | |
| 2 | Japan | A$166 bn | 12.7% | +0.4% | 5.0% | |
| 3 | United Kingdom | A$154 bn | 11.8% | +0.7% | 4.5% | |
| 4 | Canada | A$83.5 bn | 6.4% | +4.2% | 12.9% | |
| 5 | Bermuda | A$52.4 bn | 4.0% | −0.8% | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Singapore | A$46.8 bn | 3.6% | +12.8% | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Netherlands | A$42.0 bn | 3.2% | −4.5% | -4.7% | |
| 8 | China | A$36.2 bn | 2.8% | +9.0% | -4.8% | |
| 9 | British Virgin Islands | A$30.6 bn | 2.4% | +5.7% | 4.4% | |
| 10 | France | A$25.1 bn | 1.9% | +9.5% | 14.7% | |
| 11 | Germany | A$25.0 bn | 1.9% | +7.3% | 2.7% | |
| 12 | Hong Kong SAR | A$22.6 bn | 1.7% | −14.4% | 4.0% | |
| 13 | Malaysia | A$14.4 bn | 1.1% | +1.4% | — | |
| 14 | Ireland | A$13.8 bn | 1.1% | −6.2% | 17.6% | |
| 15 | Switzerland | A$11.5 bn | 0.9% | +4.8% | -3.6% | |
| 16 | Jersey | A$11.1 bn | 0.8% | +10.3% | 13.5% | |
| 17 | Sweden | A$7.8 bn | 0.6% | +7.9% | 23.1% | |
| 18 | South Korea | A$6.7 bn | 0.5% | −3.6% | 0.0% | |
| 19 | Luxembourg | A$6.4 bn | 0.5% | −8.7% | -10.2% | |
| 20 | New Zealand | A$6.2 bn | 0.5% | −17.3% | 0.7% |
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0), levels at 31 December, A$ millions. Partner economies are attributed on an immediate-counterparty basis. Blank / missing values are nil or confidential (“np”) and are included in ABS totals.
New investment · 2025
Largest sources of new FDI
Direct investment financial-account transactions into Australia during 2025 (net of disinvestment).
- 🇺🇸United StatesA$13.5 bn
- 🇳🇱NetherlandsA$7.1 bn
- 🇸🇬SingaporeA$6.2 bn
- 🇯🇵JapanA$5.6 bn
- 🇬🇧United KingdomA$4.0 bn
- 🇨🇳ChinaA$3.5 bn
- 🇿🇦South AfricaA$2.7 bn
- 🇻🇬British Virgin IslandsA$2.7 bn
- 🇮🇪IrelandA$2.0 bn
- 🇫🇷FranceA$1.4 bn
Momentum · 2020–2025
Fastest-growing investors
Compound annual growth of direct investment stock in Australia over five years, economies with at least A$2 bn invested.
- 🌐TaiwanA$3.9 bn44.4% p.a.
- 🇸🇪SwedenA$7.8 bn23.1% p.a.
- 🇮🇪IrelandA$13.8 bn17.6% p.a.
- 🇫🇷FranceA$25.1 bn14.7% p.a.
- 🌐JerseyA$11.1 bn13.5% p.a.
- 🇨🇦CanadaA$83.5 bn12.9% p.a.
- 🇦🇪United Arab EmiratesA$5.3 bn9.1% p.a.
- 🇿🇦South AfricaA$5.3 bn9.1% p.a.
- 🇪🇸SpainA$4.3 bn8.6% p.a.
- 🇺🇸United StatesA$258 bn5.7% p.a.
Regional blocs
Where Australia’s foreign direct investment comes from
Share of the stock of foreign direct investment in Australia held by investors from each grouping (groupings overlap).
- APEC
- ASEAN
- European Union
- OECD
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Industries · ANZSIC divisions
Which industries the investment goes to
Stock of direct investment at 31 December 2025. Change is measured from the first year the ABS publishes at this level of detail.
Foreign direct investment in Australia
Total A$1.30 tn
- Mining+8% since 2021A$399 bn
- Financial and Insurance Services+35% since 2021A$171 bn
- Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services+14% since 2021A$155 bn
- Unallocated+41% since 2021A$148 bn
- Manufacturing+13% since 2021A$125 bn
- Wholesale and Retail Trade+15% since 2021A$74.7 bn
- Information Media and Telecommunications+99% since 2021A$62.7 bn
- Transport, Postal and Warehousing+48% since 2021A$38.8 bn
- Professional, Scientific and Technical Services+120% since 2021A$29.8 bn
- Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services−5% since 2021A$27.8 bn
- Construction−1% since 2021A$18.8 bn
- Accommodation and Food Services+25% since 2021A$11.7 bn
- Administrative and Support Services+55% since 2021A$10.3 bn
- Health Care and Social Assistance+94% since 2021A$10.1 bn
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing+54% since 2021A$6.7 bn
Australian direct investment abroad
Total A$1.22 tn
- Financial and Insurance Services+48% since 2021A$291 bn
- Mining+44% since 2021A$238 bn
- Manufacturing−13% since 2021A$169 bn
- Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services+30% since 2021A$24.2 bn
- Professional, Scientific and Technical Services+44% since 2021A$22.7 bn
- Wholesale and Retail Trade+86% since 2021A$12.5 bn
- Health Care and Social Assistance+4% since 2023A$10.9 bn
- Construction−17% since 2021A$8.0 bn
- Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services+4% since 2021A$6.0 bn
- Administrative and Support Services+22% since 2021A$6.0 bn
- Transport, Postal and Warehousing−20% since 2021A$3.7 bn
- Accommodation and Food Services−60% since 2021A$83 m
Trade and investment together
Australia’s biggest trading partners — and how much they invest
Two-way trade in goods and services in 2025, set against direct investment in each direction at the end of 2025. Large trading partners with comparatively little investment can signal room to deepen the relationship.
| # | Partner | Two-way trade 2025 | Share | Exports (goods + services) | FDI in Australia | Australian FDI there |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | A$326 bn | 24.9% | A$196 bn | A$36.2 bn | A$2.4 bn |
| 2 | United States | A$156 bn | 12.0% | A$59.6 bn | A$258 bn | A$247 bn |
| 3 | Japan | A$96.4 bn | 7.4% | A$64.1 bn | A$166 bn | A$1.2 bn |
| 4 | South Korea | A$67.2 bn | 5.1% | A$44.0 bn | A$6.7 bn | A$669 m |
| 5 | United Kingdom | A$51.6 bn | 3.9% | A$31.3 bn | A$154 bn | A$175 bn |
| 6 | India | A$50.2 bn | 3.8% | A$32.2 bn | A$464 m | A$1.9 bn |
| 7 | Singapore | A$48.0 bn | 3.7% | A$19.8 bn | A$46.8 bn | A$16.5 bn |
| 8 | New Zealand | A$40.6 bn | 3.1% | A$20.5 bn | A$6.2 bn | A$145 bn |
| 9 | Malaysia | A$34.8 bn | 2.7% | A$13.4 bn | A$14.4 bn | A$4.7 bn |
| 10 | Indonesia | A$32.7 bn | 2.5% | A$15.4 bn | A$39 m | A$2.0 bn |
| 11 | Thailand | A$32.4 bn | 2.5% | A$8.8 bn | A$5.6 bn | A$308 m |
| 12 | Vietnam | A$29.8 bn | 2.3% | A$13.3 bn | np / nil | A$490 m |
| 13 | Germany | A$28.8 bn | 2.2% | A$6.4 bn | A$25.0 bn | A$11.7 bn |
| 14 | TWN | A$27.8 bn | 2.1% | A$17.4 bn | A$3.9 bn | np / nil |
| 15 | Hong Kong SAR | A$22.3 bn | 1.7% | A$16.7 bn | A$22.6 bn | A$6.8 bn |
| 16 | Canada | A$13.5 bn | 1.0% | A$6.1 bn | A$83.5 bn | A$42.2 bn |
| 17 | Philippines | A$10.7 bn | 0.8% | A$6.1 bn | −A$135 m | A$614 m |
| 18 | Papua New Guinea | A$9.9 bn | 0.8% | A$3.2 bn | np / nil | A$25.4 bn |
| 19 | Netherlands | A$9.3 bn | 0.7% | A$5.1 bn | A$42.0 bn | A$11.0 bn |
| 20 | United Arab Emirates | A$8.6 bn | 0.7% | A$6.2 bn | A$5.3 bn | np / nil |
Sources: ABS International Merchandise Trade (goods, monthly, latest 2026-07) and International Trade in Services by Country (calendar year) via the ABS Data API; ABS 5352.0 for direct investment levels. A$.
Reading the numbers
What these statistics do — and don’t — tell you
Why it matters
Australia has long invested more than its own savings can fund, and foreign capital fills the gap. In the Treasury’s words, “foreign investment creates skilled jobs, improves access to overseas markets, enhances export performance and increases income.”
Stocks vs flows
The “level of investment” is a stock: the accumulated value held at 31 December, which also moves with prices and exchange rates. Flows (financial transactions) show new investment during the year, net of withdrawals, and can be negative.
Direct vs portfolio
Direct investment means a lasting interest — owning 10% or more of an enterprise, with influence over how it is run. Portfolio investment (shares and bonds) carries no control; together with other investment (loans, deposits) it makes up 75% of the A$5.12 tn total.
Immediate, not ultimate, investor
The ABS allocates investment to the country of the immediate counterparty. Money routed through holding companies, custodians or financial centres (the Netherlands, Belgium, Bermuda, Singapore, Hong Kong) is credited to those places, not to the ultimate owner.
Approvals are not investment
FIRB statistics count proposals approved, which reflect investor intentions rather than money actually invested. Use them for pipeline and sentiment; use ABS figures for what has actually been invested.
Confidential cells
Where publishing a figure could reveal a single company’s position, the ABS marks it “np”. Those values are still included in totals, so partner figures don’t always add up to the headline.
Quote: Australian Government, foreigninvestment.gov.au, “Australia welcomes foreign investment”. More on methods in Sources & methods and the glossary.
Investment attraction
Prospect markets: global capital vs. presence in Australia
The world’s 25 largest sources of outward FDI (average annual outflows, 2020–2024) set against their rank as investors in Australia. A large gap flags economies whose firms invest heavily abroad but are comparatively under-represented in Australia — an indicative starting point for investment attraction, not a forecast.
| Global rank | Economy | Avg outward FDI / yr (US$) | FDI in Australia 2025 (A$) | Rank in Australia | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $337 bn | A$258 bn | 1 | Established |
| 2 | China | $192 bn | A$36.2 bn | 8 | Established |
| 3 | Japan | $188 bn | A$166 bn | 2 | Established |
| 4 | Germany | $145 bn | A$25.0 bn | 11 | Established |
| 5 | Hong Kong SAR | $94.5 bn | A$22.6 bn | 12 | Established |
| 6 | Canada | $84.4 bn | A$83.5 bn | 4 | Established |
| 7 | France | $72.3 bn | A$25.1 bn | 10 | Established |
| 8 | Singapore | $59.7 bn | A$46.8 bn | 6 | Established |
| 9 | Spain | $59.7 bn | A$4.3 bn | 24 | Under-represented |
| 10 | United Kingdom | $50.2 bn | A$154 bn | 3 | Established |
| 11 | South Korea | $49.7 bn | A$6.7 bn | 18 | Established |
| 12 | British Virgin Islands | $46.4 bn | A$30.6 bn | 9 | Established |
| 13 | Sweden | $44.0 bn | A$7.8 bn | 17 | Established |
| 14 | Malta | $39.7 bn | np / nil | — | Under-represented |
| 15 | Italy | $37.3 bn | A$887 m | 29 | Under-represented |
| 16 | United Arab Emirates | $33.2 bn | A$5.3 bn | 22 | Established |
| 17 | Denmark | $23.4 bn | A$1.2 bn | 28 | Under-represented |
| 18 | Luxembourg | $20.5 bn | A$6.4 bn | 19 | Established |
| 19 | Saudi Arabia | $20.3 bn | −A$9 m | 39 | Under-represented |
| 20 | Brazil | $19.5 bn | −A$6 m | 38 | Under-represented |
| 21 | India | $16.2 bn | A$464 m | 34 | Under-represented |
| 22 | Belgium | $14.1 bn | A$3.3 bn | 27 | Established |
| 23 | Russia | $13.8 bn | np / nil | — | Under-represented |
| 24 | Austria | $13.6 bn | np / nil | — | Under-represented |
| 25 | Norway | $13.4 bn | A$226 m | 35 | Under-represented |
An indicative statistical screen only — not advice about, or an assessment of, any investor, company or transaction. “Under-represented” = not a published investor in Australia, or ranked at least 8 places lower in Australia than globally. Global outflows: World Bank WDI (BoP net FDI outflows, current US$), which include conduit flows through financial centres. Investment in Australia: ABS 5352.0, immediate counterparty basis — ultimate owners behind holding companies in e.g. the Netherlands or Bermuda are not visible.
For trade & investment analysts
Built for analysis
- All partner economies and ABS country groups, not just a top-ten list — with 25 years of history for each.
- Two-way briefs for every partner: stock, flows, income and investment mix, ready to print or save as PDF.
- Direct, portfolio and total investment side by side, plus ANZSIC industry detail.
- One-click CSV downloads and a free API for your own analysis.
- Updated automatically when the ABS publishes its annual release.