KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Foreign investment into Malaysia recorded net inflows of 40.4 billion ringgit (8.58 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023 while investment abroad registered 40.6 billion ringgit (8.62 billion dollars), official data showed Wednesday.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement that the FDI inflows in 2023 decreased from 75.4 billion ringgit in the previous year, mainly in equity and investment fund shares, reflecting the global economic slowdown.
However, the cumulative value of foreign investment rose to 926 billion ringgit at the end of 2023, making up 50.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), primarily attributed to non-transaction categories.
Meanwhile, direct investment abroad (DIA) recorded a decrease in net outflow from 62.8 billion ringgit in the preceding year, while the stock increased to 664.4 billion ringgit, representing 36.4 percent of GDP.
The services sector emerged as the primary recipient of FDI. Geographically, the Asia region remained the dominant source of FDI, contributing 54.3 billion ringgit in 2023 with a position valued at 508.4 billion ringgit.
The DIA net outflows were also mostly contributed by the services sector with a value of 34.5 billion ringgit.
In terms of region, Asia also remained the leading destination of DIA flows in 2023 with a value of 29.9 billion ringgit. (1 ringgit equals 0.21 U.S. dollar)
