Inward foreign direct investment

At year-end 2023, inward foreign direct investment (FDI) position totaled to 1,281 b.kr. Inward FDI flows amounted to 66 b.kr. during the year.

The flow of equity by foreign parties in domestic companies amounted to 143 b.kr. in 2023. At the same time, the effect of reinvestment on the total flow was reduced by 57 b.kr.


Equity assets accounted for 63% of direct investment position at the end of 2022.

The largest FDI countries at year-end 2023 were Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Inward FDI is largely concentrated in manufacture of aluminum, pharmaceuticals and holding companies. Around 47% of FDI position are in holding companies. A large share of these holdings are connected to the aforementioned sectors.

Outward foreign direct investment

At year-end 2023, outward FDI position totaled to 726 b.kr. Outward FDI flows amounted to 10 b.kr. during the year.

About 87% of total outward FDI was in the form of equity, while the remainder was in the form of debt financing between FDI-related parties.

Around 52% of total FDI position was registered in the Netherlands, the bulk of it in holding companies.

The largest outward direct investors are companies connected to the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and equipment and machinery, as well as the fishing industry. Some 52% of outward FDI is in holding companies, most of it connected to the aforementioned sectors.

Other

The figures in the statistical tables represent totals from summarized sectoral classifications, as well as the classification of Iceland’s largest FDI partner countries, excluding special-purpose entities.

Quarterly FDI aggregates according to the directional presentation by type of investment is available for the years 2013 – 2024.

Resident special-purpose entities amounted to 34 b.kr in inward and 29 b.kr in outward FDI positions at the end of 2023.

A further breakdown, including and excluding special-purpose entities, can be found on the OECD website. A link to that website can be found under “Useful links” here on this page. The OECD FDI database is updated in December.