Cross-border investment fell off a cliff in 2020

Felix Salmon

Data: YCharts; Chart: Axios Visuals

Cross-border investment fell off a cliff in 2020, dropping 42% to $859 billion from 2019's $1.5 trillion, according to official UN figures.

By the numbers: Developed countries saw a 69% reduction in inflows.

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  • The U.K. actually saw an outflow of $1.3 billion, after inflows of $45 billion in 2019: Investors were more interested in taking money out of the Brexit-hit nation than they were in putting money in.

  • The U.S. dropped to $134 billion, while China was one of the few gainers, seeing $163 billion of inflows and gaining the top spot for the first time.

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