Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Lebanon rose to US$358m in 2003 compared to US$257m in 2002, a jump of 12.1 per cent, according to a World Investment Report issued Wednesday by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Overall investment in Lebanon and other Arab countries has surpassed other years, but is still far lower than countries in Asia, Europe and the US.
Total accumulated investment in Lebanon for the past 10 years stood at US$1.981bn up to 2003. However, the report did not give details about the types of investment in Lebanon and other Arab states. According to the UNCTAD report, Lebanon ranked 90th in the world in terms of FDI for 2003 out of 193 countries. However, the report also said Lebanese investments abroad in 2003 rose to US$97m from US$74m in 2002.
