In terms of net foreign direct investment, Kazakhstan holds the first place in the post-Soviet space, attracting $6.1bn last year. Three other countries achieved at least $2bn in net FDI, Uzbekistan with $2.5bn, Lithuania with $2.2bn and Georgia with $2bn. The worst negative ranking was for Russia, with a net withdrawal of foreign investment amounting to -$18.7bn.

Central Asia as a whole is increasingly attractive to foreign investors, with the net FDI inflow to the region up by 39% and totalling $10bn, with Kazakhstan accounting for 61% of that. Additionally, Kazakhstan ranks fifth among all developing economies in terms of attracting net investments in renewable energy projects between during 2015 and 2022, with a total of $56.3bn.

Overall, the report’s results show that global net FDI flows decreased by 12% in 2022 to $1.3 trillion, following significant growth in 2021. The main reasons for this decline are the conflict in Ukraine, high food and energy prices, and increasing government debt in countries worldwide.

The decline primarily affected developed countries, where net FDI inflows decreased by 37% to $378bn. Meanwhile, flows to developing countries increased on average by 4%.

You can read the full report here.

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