On June 26, 2013 the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released the World Investment Report 2013.
According to the executive summary, “Global FDI declined in 2012, mainly due to continued macroeconomic fragility and policy uncertainty for investors, and it is forecast to rise only moderately over the next two years.
Yet as this report reveals, the global picture masks a number of major dynamic developments. In 2012 – for the first time ever – developing economies absorbed more FDI than developed countries, with four developing economies ranked among the five largest recipients in the world. Developing countries also generated almost one third of global FDI outflows, continuing an upward trend that looks set to continue.”
The report overview notes that “The BRICS countries (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa) continued to be the leading sources of FDI among emerging investor countries. Flows from these five economies rose from $7 billion in 2000 to $145 billion in 2012, accounting for 10 per cent of the world total. Their trans-national corporations (TNCs) are becoming increasingly active, including in Africa. In the ranks of top investors, China moved up from the sixth to the third largest investor in 2012, after the United States and Japan.”
You may download the report on the publications page of the UNCTAD internet site, where you can also read press releases featuring overviews of the report as well as data about specific regions.