The UK has maintained its position as the number one destination for foreign direct investment ( FDI) in Europe after attracting a record number of FDI projects, bringing in the largest financial value and associated jobs over the past year.
The annual investment figures from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) for the 2014/15 financial year show the UK attracted 1,988 FDI projects - 12 per cent more compared to 2013/14, estimated to have brought with them almost 85,000 new jobs and 23,000 safeguarded jobs across the UK.
The UK’s strong performance during 2014 has seen the country’s inward FDI stock – the value of accumulated FDI in the UK – break the £1 trillion level for the first time. This is the highest in Europe and third in the world after the United States and China.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
"The scale of foreign investment is a huge success story which shows that Britain is the place to do business and is more evidence that our long term economic plan is working. Securing investment from overseas is a key part of our One Nation policies to create thousands of jobs, provide security and opportunities for working people throughout the UK."
UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) statistics show that FDI into the UK came from more than 70 countries, including the world’s leading emerging markets. The USA remains the largest source of inward investment, with a total of 564 projects in 2014/15, followed by France (124 projects).
Investment from India increased by 65% making it the UK’s third largest source of FDI accounting for over 9,000 new and safeguarded jobs. There was also evidence of a strengthening relationship with China with 112 projects, including 13 from Hong Kong, in 2014/15 resulting in almost 6,000 new and safeguarded jobs.
In order to strengthen these key global relationships, the Minister for Trade and Investment has also today announced the date for the fifth GREAT global investment conference, which will take place in London on 17 September this year.
The conference will bring together global corporate leaders and other investment stakeholders to discuss how the UK can continue to attract further high quality foreign direct investment, and to hear from industry leaders as they share their success stories.
UKTI records wider types of inward investment projects, including mergers and acquisitions and those that are not publicly announced by foreign investors.
Click here to download UKTI Inward Investment Report 2014-15
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