In the first half of this year, reported foreign direct investment (FDI) rose 9.1% from a year earlier to $14.28 billion. The amount that actually arrived came to $10.73 billion, up 42.6%.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources on the 3rd released the "2026 first-half foreign direct investment trends."
An official at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) said, "Despite global FDI downward pressure such as the Middle East situation, both reported and arrived figures increased," and noted, "New investment appears to continue flowing into promising areas such as semiconductors and displays."
By type, greenfield investment reports fell 1.5% to $10.82 billion, but the decline narrowed compared with the first quarter (down 19.8%). M&A-type investment jumped 64.3% to $3.46 billion.
By industry, manufacturing reports fell 28.4% to $3.81 billion. Chemicals ($1.12 billion, down 17.0%) and electrical and electronics ($1.02 billion, down 26.5%) led the decline. In contrast, as investment flowed into promising industries such as Autonomous Driving robots and healthcare, machinery and equipment and medical precision surged 243.1% to $870 million. Service sector reports rose 27.9% to $9.07 billion, driven by finance and insurance ($3.74 billion, up 47.9%) and real estate ($1.64 billion, up 98.8%).
By country, investment from major economies decreased across the board—United States ($3.05 billion, down 2.5%), EU ($2.05 billion, down 8.1%), Japan ($1.49 billion, down 30.9%), and China ($1.48 billion, down 18.6%)—while other countries such as Singapore and the United Kingdom surged 65.4% to $6.2 billion.
Arrivals increased as funds for previously reported projects flowed in without disruption. Thanks to a large chemical project, manufacturing arrivals jumped 205.2% to $5 billion, and M&A-type arrivals also rose 123.3% to $6.28 billion.
An official at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) said, "To sustain last year's record FDI momentum, we will strengthen foreign investment incentives in connection with national industrial policies such as the five hubs and three specialized zones."