Non-EU investors held the majority of inward FDI positions in the other five countries. Credit: Rokas Tenys / Shutterstock.com

Europe’s reported inward foreign direct investment (FDI) positions by ultimate investor in 2025 were led by the US across 14 European Union (EU) reporting countries.

According to Eurostat, the official statistical office of the EU, the US accounted for 15.4% of total inward FDI positions among the reporting countries.

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Germany represented 11.5%, followed by France with 9.4%, the UK with 9.3%, and Switzerland with 5.8%.

The 14 countries reporting data were Austria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, and Sweden.

Investors from other EU countries held the majority of inward FDI positions in nine of the 14 countries.

Czechia had the largest EU investment share, at 75.1%, followed by Romania at 73.3% and Estonia at 64.8%.

Non-EU investors held the majority of inward FDI positions in the other five countries.

Cyprus recorded the highest non-EU share, at 79.4%, while non-EU investment represented between 51.0% and 55.1% of positions in Spain, Sweden, Greece, and Denmark.

Eurostat collects data on inward FDI positions by ultimate investing economy on a voluntary basis.

Standard FDI statistics identify the immediate investing economy, while ultimate-investor data is intended to identify the location of the entity that ultimately controls the direct investment enterprise.

Separately, Eurostat reported that net FDI stocks held by EU-resident investors in non-EU countries totalled €9.48tn ($10.48tn) in 2025, down 2.3% from 2024.

Investment stocks held in the EU by non-EU residents fell 2.8% to €6.99tn, from €7.19tn in 2024.

FDI stocks held by the rest of the world in the EU have declined since 2022, when they reached €7.88tn, their highest level since 2013.

At the end of 2025, Special Purpose Entities accounted for 26.2% of total EU FDI stocks abroad and 33.3% of FDI stocks held by the rest of the world in the EU.