Foreign investment down in Lithuania

  • 2014-07-02
  • From wire reports, VILNIUS

Foreign investment in Lithuania has fallen whilst Lithuanian direct investment abroad has increased, new statistics show. 

Statistics Lithuania and the Bank of Lithuania inform that in the first quarter of 2014, foreign direct investment flow amounted to 86.3 million euros.

The outflow was driven by a 215 million euro decrease in investments in debt instruments. Compared to Q1 2013, the negative change in the FDI flow was almost 289 million euros.

In 2014, the strongest increase was recorded in the FDI from Sweden 135.2 euros, British Virgin Islands, 47.5 million euros and Estonia 33.2 million euros.

The largest decrease was recorded in the FDI from Denmark, Poland and Germany. In the first quarter the largest investment was made in wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and real estate activities, whilst the largest decrease in investment was observed in financial and insurance activities.

In March 2014, cumulative FDI in Lithuania amounted to 12.4 billion. Over the last four quarters their amount in Lithuania decreased by 69 million euros (0.6 percent). FDI per capita amounted to an average 4,215 euros.

According to the data as of 31 March 2014, investors from the following countries have invested the most in Lithuania: Sweden, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Norway and Estonia.