TEHRAN - The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said in its latest investment report that foreign direct investment inflow to Iran increased by five percent in 2022 compared to the previous year.

The report put the Islamic Republic’s FDI inflow at $1.5 billion in 2022, while the figure stood at $1.425 billion in 2021, IRNA reported.

According to the report, Iran was ranked fourth in West Asia in terms of the amount of FDI inflow to the country in the mentioned year.

Based on UNCTAD data, Iran also had $100 million in foreign direct investment in other countries in 2022, up from $82 million from the previous year.

UNCTAD has also put the global foreign direct investment in 2022 at $1.294 trillion, indicating a decline of 13 percent compared to the previous year.

Iran has been ranked 79th among the countries of the world in terms of attracting foreign investment in 2022. The U.S. was in first place with $285 billion of FDI, followed by China with $189 billion, and Singapore with $141 billion.

As for West Asia, Saudi Arabia ranked first in the region with $7.886 billion of investment, followed by Oman with $3.716 billion, and Bahrain with $1.951 billion.

Foreign direct investment inflow to Iran also increased by 6.4 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year.

According to UNCTAD, the Islamic Republic’s FDI inflow stood at $1.429 billion in 2021, while the figure was $1.342 billion in 2020.

Iran also had $82 million in foreign direct investment in other countries in 2021, up from $78 million in the previous year.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as an intergovernmental organization intended to promote the interests of developing states in world trade.

EF/MA