Overview

• Regional FDI reached nearly $189 billion in 2024, up 7.1%, driven chiefly by reinvested corporate earnings as fresh capital inflows remained flat.
• The United States supplied 38% of regional FDI, the European Union’s share fell to 15%—its lowest since 2012—and China accounted for just 2%.
• Brazil and Mexico together captured over 60% of inflows, with Brazil at 38% and Mexico at 24% of the regional total.
• Mexico attracted a post-pandemic high of $45.3 billion in FDI but saw its inflows-to-GDP ratio decline from 47% in 2019 to 42% in 2024.
• Argentina’s net FDI plunged 54% to $11.0 billion in 2024, and CEPAL flags looming U.S. tariff and trade policy shifts as a key risk, especially for Mexico which directs 80% of its exports northward.