FDI as a percentage of GDP in Mexico dropped from 3.0% in 2015 to 2.0% in 2024, reported the Ministry of Economy.

Mexico attracted US$36.872 billion of FDI in 2024 and, more recently, US$21.373 billion in the first quarter of 2025. Both amounts imply records considering preliminary figures.

Comparing FDI as a percentage of GDP allows us to know how significant productive foreign investment is in relation to the total size of the economy.

FDI as a percentage of GDP

Of the total FDI inflows to Mexico in 2024, US$10 billion went to the transportation equipment industry, the highest amount since records have been kept. 

In the first quarter of 2025, of the total FDI, 16.647 billion dollars corresponded to reinvestment of profits, 3.140 billion dollars to intercompany accounts, and 1.586 billion dollars to new investments.

The Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) reported a slowdown in the global economy in the first quarter of 2025. This occurred amid increased trade and geopolitical tensions.

Although inflationary pressures eased, central banks maintained cautious monetary stances. The environment continued to be marked by financial volatility and lower risk appetite.

Despite this panorama, Mexico showed resilience. According to the SHCP, the country faced the international context with solid macroeconomic fundamentals. This helped to preserve stability, despite a slight moderation in economic activity.

Mexico’s GDP grew only 0.2% quarter-over-quarter in seasonally adjusted figures. In annual comparison, the increase was 0.8% during January-March 2025.

The dynamism of employment, low inflation and record levels of FDI were key to avoiding a further slowdown. These factors helped to offset the negative effects of the uncertain global environment.

Future Context

From Monex’s perspective, the international focus will be on the new U.S. trade agreements. This comes in the midst of a 90-day pause to its reciprocal tariffs.

After reaching an agreement with the United Kingdom, Washington also reduced tariffs on Chinese products from 145% to 30%. China responded with a drop from 125% to 10%.

The following shows the trend of FDI as a percentage of GDP in Mexico:

• 2014: 2.2 percent.
• 2015: 3.0 percent.
• 2016: 2.8 percent.
• 2017: 2.8 percent.
• 2018: 2.7 percent.
• 2019: 2.7 percent.
• 2020: 2.5 percent.
• 2021: 2.5 percent.
• 2022: 2.5 percent.
• 2023: 2.0 percent.
• 2024: 2.0 percent.

These decisions have improved global economic expectations. Nevertheless, the forecast of an international economic slowdown remains.

In addition, the upcoming inflation data in the United States will be decisive. They will serve to assess the effects of tariffs and the Federal Reserve’s future decisions for the remainder of 2025.