Foreign direct investment into the six Gulf Cooperation Council states rose 18% to $98.5 billion in 2025, the highest level in at least a decade, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report released on Sunday.
Global FDI rose 6% to $1.6 trillion over the same period, and the GCC took 6% of the world total, according to the agency’s Gulf Cooperation Council Investment Report. It was published as Qatar hosts UNCTAD’s World Investment Forum in Doha from October 25 to 27.
The report warned that the Strait of Hormuz crisis had introduced significant uncertainty, with preliminary indicators for the first half of 2026 pointing to “a sharp, region-wide weakening of investment activity.”
The United Arab Emirates remained the largest destination, attracting about $48 billion in 2025, followed by Saudi Arabia and Oman. Saudi Arabia accounted for about three quarters of the regional increase. Inflows fell in Bahrain and Kuwait, with the decline in Kuwait described as marginal.
Announced greenfield investment in the GCC rose 66% to about $78 billion, and the number of projects rose 12%, while project numbers fell 10% worldwide. Information and communication accounted for more than a fifth of announced value, and automotive and construction investment each rose more than fivefold.
International project finance in the region climbed 65% to $114 billion even as the number of deals fell 16%. The UAE became the largest destination, with announced value rising to $56 billion from $22 billion, while Saudi Arabia’s rose to $44 billion from $35 billion.
Project finance for telecommunications infrastructure more than tripled to almost $24 billion, with the $20 billion Stargate UAE artificial intelligence data center accounting for much of the increase, UNCTAD said.
Outward FDI from GCC countries rose 11% to $130 billion, about 7% of the global total. The UAE remained the largest outward investor with almost half of the total, while Kuwait’s outflows more than tripled, making it the second-largest source of FDI in the bloc.
Announced greenfield investment by Gulf investors outside the region more than tripled to $461 billion in 2021-2025 from $139 billion in 2016-2020, with Egypt and the United States the leading destinations.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the opening of the three-day forum, which has more than 5,000 participants, the Qatar News Agency reported.
Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayed, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, told the opening session that Qatar had announced infrastructure projects worth a combined $38.5 billion over the next five years, according to the agency.
