August 13 (SeeNews) - Serbia has taken over as leader in the global greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) index compiled by fDi Intelligence, a data division of the Financial Times, followed by Montenegro on the second place, the London-based newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Serbia’s index score has improved by 1.33 index points to 11.92, and the country gained one position from the previous year, occupying the first place, the Financial Times said.
The country received 107 FDI projects in 2018, 26 more than 2017, growing by almost one-third, the Financial Times said.
"Automotive components, food and tobacco, textiles and real estate are Serbia’s leading FDI sectors, and combined they accounted for more than half (54%) of total inbound FDI projects in 2018."
Montenegro, which borders Serbia to the southwest and is a new entrant to the 2019 index, ranks second. The country recorded 11 FDI projects in 2018, its peak year since fDi Markets began recording FDI data in 2003.
Among countries in Southeast Europe (SEE), Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked 15th with 54 FDI projects, followed by Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Romania on the 17th, 18th and 24th spots, respectively.
The index measures inbound greenfield investment relative to the size of each country’s economy. Greenfield FDI data used in the index is derived from fDi Markets, and excludes retail investments. The 2019 index has 105 countries, 13 more than the previous index. To be included in the index, a country must have received at least 10 greenfield FDI projects in 2018.
($ = 0.843881 euro)