Foreign direct investment in Serbia halved

Net foreign direct investment (FDI) in Serbia during the first eight months of this year amounted to EUR 1.49 billion, down by as much as 54% compared to the same period last year, according to documentation published by the National Bank of Serbia (NBS).

Total foreign direct investment in Serbia in the first eight months amounted to EUR 2.3 billion, but the net result is obtained when investments by Serbian residents abroad are subtracted.

According to preliminary data for the first half of 2025, the largest investments were recorded in the manufacturing industry (23.9%), professional, scientific, innovative and technical activities (18.9%), construction (15.6%), wholesale and retail trade (14.5%), writes Nova ekonomija.

Investors were predominantly from the EU (68.6% of total investments) and other European countries (16.4%), the USA (4.1%) and the United Arab Emirates (3.7%). Then, as can be seen from the published documentation, net portfolio investments amounted to EUR 709 million.

Portfolio investments represent investments in equity or debt securities. This result is much higher than in the same period last year, when these investments amounted to a negative EUR 192 million.

Narodna banka Srbije Beograd

National Bank of Serbia

foreign direct investments