Net International Investment Position by Country 2024

Net International Investment Position (or NIIP for short) is a key economic indicator that reflects not only a country’s internal economic well-being but its economic relationship with other countries as part of the global collective.

Specifically, a country’s NIIP compares its foreign assets to its foreign liabilities and assesses the difference between the two. Keeping an eye on this metric, as well as that of other countries, can be a reliable way to track, identify, and analyze worldwide economic trends.

Here’s a closer look at some of the world nations with both positive and negative NIIP scores, as well as a few contributing factors that can influence this metric.

Net International Investment Positions (NIIP) by Country

NIIP scores can be either positive or negative. Countries with positive NIIP scores have foreign assets that outweigh the liabilities and are called creditor nations. Countries with a negative NIIP are the inverse – entities with liabilities that outstrip the assets – and are called debtor nations.

The following are some of the top creditor nations in the world as of 2023 (in millions):

• Macau: 279.6 percent of GDP

• Hong Kong: 10,241,163
• Singapore: 844,053.5
• Norway: 6,208,589

• Switzerland: 608.694
• Taiwan: 1,053,905
• Luxembourg: 16,474.719

• Netherlands: 411,354.2

The following are some examples of key debtor nations as of 2023 (also in millions):

• United States: -16,112,100

• India: -27,485,450
• Greece: -222,323
• Australia: -1,043,300

• Brazil: -657,136
• United Kingdom: -431,454
• Portugal: -196,053

• Spain: -978,000

Factors That Can Impact NIIP Scores by Country

Net International Investment Position can be impacted by quite a few different factors, especially from country to country. The following are a few key examples to keep in mind.

Trade Balance

Differences between the costs of a country’s imports versus the cash flow brought in by its exports can greatly contribute to either a positive or negative NIIP score.

Foreign Investments

Countries that maintain many investments in other nations – such as bonds, stocks, and other examples – may be more likely to have a positive Net International Investment Position. Meanwhile, a nation with many of its own assets under foreign ownership may be more likely to have a negative NIIP.

Economic Growth

When a country is growing economically, it’s likely to attract foreign investors, demonstrate elevated export profits, and so forth. All of these things can help contribute to a better score than it might have otherwise.

Geopolitical Connections

Anything related to political relationships, international conflicts, sanctions, and critical world events can contribute to either a positive or negative NIIP.