How to Read BEA New Foreign Direct Investment — Acquisitions, Greenfield and Planned Spending

As of 24 October 2026 (KST); latest release: New Foreign Direct Investment in the United States, 2025, released by BEA at 8:30 a.m. EDT on June 10, 2026 (preliminary statistics). Next release: the release says June 2027, and BEA's 2027 release schedule lists June 10, 2027, at 8:30 a.m., for 2026 data. Primary sources: https://www.bea.gov/news/2026/new-foreign-direct-investment-united-states-2025 and https://www.bea.gov/data/intl-trade-investment/new-foreign-direct-investment-united-states/supplemental-data^[2][12][13]

Comparison basis: annual data, so the previous year is also the year-ago comparison. 2024 values are BEA's revised figures published with the 2025 release. The release rounds to billions; the supplemental tables give millions, and changes other than the published +76.8 billion are this page's calculations from those table values. BEA uses coarsening, "Coarsening involves reducing the level of detail or specificity of published statistics, such as through rounding, aggregating (grouping), and/or the use of ranges." so components may not add exactly to rounded totals. The release, its PDF, supporting pages, tables and FAQs are all BEA publications and count as one issuer record.^[2][5][11]

In three lines 1. These statistics count what foreign direct investors spend to acquire, establish or expand U.S. businesses in the year an investment is made, plus planned future spending on new and expanded facilities. 2. First-year expenditures were $232.2 billion in 2025, up 49.5 percent, with acquisitions $218.4 billion and greenfield investment $13.8 billion; planned total expenditures were $284.5 billion. 3. 2026 figures are due in June 2027 (June 10 on BEA's schedule).^[2][3]

Direct investment threshold: "Ownership or control of 10 percent or more of the voting securities of an entity in another economy is the threshold for separating direct investment from other types of investment."^[3]

Acquisition: "An acquisition occurs when a foreign entity acquires a voting interest (directly, or indirectly, through an existing U.S. affiliate) of at least 10 percent in a U.S. business enterprise." "Acquisitions of additional voting interest in existing U.S. affiliates in which a foreign entity already has a 10 percent voting interest are excluded."^[3]

Establishment and expansion: "An establishment occurs when a foreign entity, or an existing U.S. affiliate of a foreign entity, establishes a new legal entity in the United States in which the foreign entity owns 10 percent or more of the new business enterprise’s voting interest." "An expansion occurs when an existing U.S. affiliate of a foreign parent expands its operations to include a new facility where business is conducted." "Greenfield investment includes establishments and expansions."^[3]

First-year vs planned total: The table notes say: "First-year expenditures include expenditures in the year in which the transaction occurred." Planned totals add future spending on multiyear establishments and expansions, and "For acquired U.S. businesses, first-year expenditures and planned total expenditures are the same."^[5]

Country of ultimate owner. Country figures are by ultimate beneficial owner, and "Unlike the foreign parent, the UBO of an affiliate may be located in the United States."^[3]

Source and history: "The statistics of new investments by foreign direct investors are based on data reported in the Survey of New Foreign Direct Investment in the United States (BE–13), conducted by BEA." "BEA reinstated the Survey of New Foreign Direct Investment in the United States in 2014 after ending the series with survey year 2008 due to budget cuts." "Because expansions were not included in the previous series, the current series (starting with 2014) and the previous series (ending in 2008) are not directly comparable."^[3][4]

First-year vs planned total, by country. In table 2, Taiwan's first-year expenditures were $1,036 million in 2025 (of which $300 million for expansions), while its planned total expenditures, first-year and planned future, were $26,137 million, of which $25,000 million is the planned total for expansions (column 8). South Korea's planned total was $7,536 million and Australia's $17,420 million, against first-year amounts of $2,456 million and $8,570 million (table values).^[6]

First-year vs planned total, by industry. In table 1, semiconductors and other electronic components had first-year expenditures of $10,534 million and planned total expenditures of $37,894 million, of which $28,550 million is the planned total (first-year and planned future) for expansions.^[5]

When greenfield money is planned to be spent. Table 10.B gives initial planned expenditures by the year the spending is planned, reported when the investment is initiated: of $66,061 million planned for greenfield investment initiated in 2025, $13,770 million is planned for 2025, $13,879 million for 2026, $11,029 million for 2027 and $27,382 million for 2028 until completion. The 2025 amount is about 20.8% of the plan (this page's calculation). The four yearly values add to 66,060, one million dollars less than the published total of 66,061 (this page's observation).^[7][8]

Acquisitions vs greenfield. "Acquisition expenditures in 2025 were $218.4 billion, expenditures to establish new U.S. businesses were $4.6 billion, and expenditures to expand existing foreign-owned businesses were $9.2 billion." Acquisitions were about 94.1% of first-year expenditures (this page's calculation), while greenfield investment was 23.2% of planned totals because expansions carry large planned future spending.^[2][6]

New investment vs direct investment transactions. "The new investment statistics include the total cost of the new investment whether the funds were obtained from domestic or foreign sources, whereas in the financial transactions statistics, only funds obtained from the foreign parent group are included." "Given these differences, the period to period change in new foreign direct investment can move in the opposite direction as the change in foreign direct investment transactions."^[9]

$13.8 billion vs its components. Table 10.B shows 2025 greenfield first-year spending of $13,770 million, while its published components, $4,606 million established and $9,165 million expanded, add to 13,771: the published values differ by one million dollars (this page's observation). A difference of this size is consistent with rounding, which BEA lists among its coarsening methods; BEA does not explain this particular cell.^[2][7][11]

$120.4 billion vs $120.5 billion. The increase in planned total expenditures is $120.4 billion from the table values in millions (284,472 less 164,038) and $120.5 billion from the rounded published totals ($284.5 billion less $164.0 billion).^[2][5]

Two employment figures. "Employment in 2025 at newly acquired, established, or expanded foreign-owned businesses in the United States was 213,100 employees." Separately, "In 2025, current employment of acquired enterprises was 211,700." and total planned employment, including "the planned employment of newly established business enterprises when fully operational, and the planned employment associated with expansions, was 232,400."^[2]

Revisions to 2024. First-year expenditures for 2024 were revised from $151.0 billion to $155.3 billion and planned totals from $157.0 billion to $164.0 billion; 2025 figures are described as preliminary.^[2][6]