BERLIN (Reuters) -The number of foreign investments in Germany fell for the third year in a row in 2024, international economic promotion agency Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) said on Monday.
Last year there were 1,724 new establishments and expansions, down from 1,759 projects in 2023 – a 2% year-on-year decline – 1,783 in 2022 and 1,806 in 2021.
Foreign direct investment fell much more sharply in Europe last year, by 4.6%, and by almost 6% in Western Europe, GTAI data showed.
Foreign companies announced investments totalling 23.2 billion euros ($25.83 billion) in 2024, down from the record sums of 34.8 billion euros in 2023 and 25.3 billion euros in 2022, due to catch-up effects following the pandemic.
The United States has remained the most important foreign investor with three big projects from Amazon, Microsoft and Apple in 2024 and a total of 229 projects for relocation or expansion.
Switzerland followed in second place with 202 projects, ahead of China with 199, the U.K. with 137 and the Netherlands with 97, according to GTAI data.
($1 = 0.8981 euros)
(Reporting by Rene Wagner, writing by Maria Martinez, editing by Friederike Heine)
