Global foreign direct investment climbed back in 2025, and developing Asia captured roughly 40% of that total, around $644 billion, according to the UN Trade and Development's (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2026.
The shift in destination is also notable, with Southeast Asia overtaking East Asia as the region's largest recipient subregion for the first time, while capital broadened out from a handful of established hubs into a wider set of markets across South and Central Asia as well.