Algeria’s FDI peaked at $2.75B in 2009, plunged to a -$580M outflow in 2015, then jumped 476% from $250M in 2022 to $1.44B in 2024.

Key Takeaways

  • Peak FDI was in 2009 with $2.75 billion, the highest recorded in the 1990–2024 period.
  • The year 2015 saw a rare negative inflow of -$580 million, marking Algeria’s only net FDI loss in the last three decades.
  • FDI inflows rose significantly between 2005 and 2011, consistently staying above $1 billion each year.
  • After the 2015 drop, inflows recovered modestly, hovering between $1.1B and $1.6B from 2016 to 2020.
  • FDI weakened again post-2020, falling to just $250 million in 2022, before rebounding to $1.44 billion by 2024.

Algeria’s foreign direct investment was minimal through the 1990s, with inflows staying below $1 billion until 2001. The 2000s marked a shift, with FDI rising steadily to reach a high of $2.75 billion in 2009. This upward trend reflected a period of investor confidence and economic openness.

 

However, in 2015, Algeria recorded its only FDI outflow, a negative figure of -$580 million, signalling a year of capital withdrawal. Despite this drop, the country quickly regained momentum, bringing inflows back to over $1.6 billion in 2016 and maintaining stable values through 2020.

Post-2020, inflows weakened again, bottoming out at just $250 million in 2022. The country managed a partial recovery by 2024, ending the period with $1.44 billion in FDI. Overall, while growth has been uneven, Algeria’s FDI story reflects long-term improvement, from a near-zero base in the 1990s to substantial inflows in recent years.

Source:

UNCTAD

Period:

1990 - 2024
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