Africa attracted $70 billion in foreign direct investment in 2025, down from the exceptional $94 billion recorded a year earlier. But the decline masks a bigger shift in where investors are placing their money.
According to UN Trade and Development, capital is increasingly flowing toward the sectors shaping the global economy, from energy and infrastructure to critical minerals, manufacturing and technology.
A handful of African countries captured a significant share of that investment, with natural resources and large-scale projects driving some of the biggest gains. Here are the 10 African countries that attracted the most FDI in 2025.
1) Egypt
Egypt attracted about $15.45 billion in foreign direct investment in 2025, making it Africa’s largest FDI recipient for the year. While this represented a decline from the exceptional level recorded in 2024, when the Ras El-Hekma construction and real estate megaproject significantly boosted inflows, underlying investment into Egypt actually strengthened. Excluding the 2024 megaproject, FDI inflows increased by about one quarter in 2025. The improvement was supported by the $3.5 billion Alam El-Roum deal. Egypt’s performance helped North Africa remain a major destination for international capital despite the region’s overall FDI inflows falling 56% to about $22 billion.
