Costa Rica recorded $3,921 billion in foreign direct investment in 2023, marking a 24% increase from 2022 when FDI amounted to $3,163.9 million, as reported by the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer).
Breaking down foreign investments by sectors, manufacturing contributed 55% of the total, followed by tourism with 25%, real estate with 7%, agriculture with 2%, and both the financial sector and agribusiness and trade with 1% each.
The report notably highlighted a 187% growth in the services sector, which increased from $336.8 million in 2022 to $965.5 million in 2023.
In Honduras, foreign direct investment (FDI) amounted to $1,076.4 million in 2023, a 17% increase from the $920.3 million received in 2022, as reported by the Central Bank (BCH). The increase was attributed to a rise in reinvestment of profits by operational foreign subsidiaries in the country.
Nicaragua accumulated $2,534.5 million in FDI in 2023, representing 14.2% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and a 37.6% increase ($691.9 million) compared to 2022, detailed by the Central Bank (BCN).
The economic sectors with the highest net investment flows were industry, energy and mines, commerce, services, and others, as stated by the monetary authority.
El Salvador attracted flows of $759.7 million, according to the Central Reserve Bank (BCR), recovering from the $170.8 million attracted in 2022. The net foreign direct investment (FDI) received by El Salvador in 2023 quadrupled compared to 2022.
“This investment is mainly through reinvested profits, meaning that companies preferred to leave earnings in the country rather than taking them to other countries; this indicates that foreign companies have confidence and see a secure business climate in El Salvador for reinvestment,” said Douglas Rodríguez, president of the BCR, during a presentation on the country’s economic situation in 2023 and prospects for 2024.
For the other countries of the Central American region, the most recent information dates back to September 2023. By that month, Panama had attracted $1,375 billion in foreign direct investment, which was $900 million less than the same period in 2022, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
In Guatemala, the flow of FDI in the third quarter of 2023 amounted to $1,136.1 million, representing a growth of 8.9% compared to the same period in 2022 when it was $1,042.4 million, as reported by Banguat.
Source: Bloomberg Línea
