Figures released by fDi Markets show that the Arab region attracted 1,092 greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) projects for a total of $60.2bn in 2019, compared to 878 projects worth $82.7bn in 2018. As such, the number of greenfield FDI projects in Arab countries increased by 24.4%, while investments dropped by 27.2% last year. Egypt attracted $13.7bn in greenfield FDI in 141 projects, followed by the UAE with $13.6bn (445 projects), Saudi Arabia with $12.5bn (134 projects), Oman with $3.6bn (61 projects), and Morocco with $3.1bn (111 projects). Western Europe and the Middle East were each the source of $17.1bn of total greenfield investments in Arab countries. The Asia Pacific region  followed with $12.7bn, then North America with $9bn, Emerging Europe with $2.1bn, Africa with $2bn, and Latin America & the Caribbean with $189m. In parallel, the real estate sector attracted $9bn in greenfield FDI or 15% of the total invested in the region in 2019, followed by the renewable energy sector with $8.8bn (14.5%); the chemicals industry with $7.6bn (12.6%); the coal, oil & and natural gas sector with $7.3bn (12.1%); and the hotels & tourism sector with $6.2bn (10.3%). Also, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were the destination of nearly all greenfield FDI made in the real estate sector last year, with $7.1bn, $1.3bn and $0.6bn respectively. Further, a total of 815 companies invested in Arab countries in 2019 compared to 705 firms in 2018, and the top 10 companies accounted for 5.4% of greenfield investment and for 4.1% of job creation last year.
Source: fDi Markets, Byblos Research