After occupying the 21st place in the Kearney firm’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index in 2024, Mexico fell to 25th place , that is, to the basement of this ranking in 2025, derived from the protectionist economic policy promoted by Donald Trump , president of the United States, with the collection of tariffs, which has caused businessmen to act with caution when choosing where to make their investments.
Although Mexico is at the top of the list of most attractive investment nations, the country remains one of the six emerging nations that make up the main index. The other countries are China, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and India.
According to the Kearney FDI Confidence Index 2025: The Turning World report , the Americas have the largest number of emerging market markets, with eight, down one from last year, followed by Asia Pacific with seven, the Middle East and Africa with five, and Europe also with five.
Meanwhile, Kuwait and Bulgaria entered the Emerging Markets 25 Index for the first time.
It’s worth remembering that in 2003, Mexico had its highest ranking in the consulting firm’s rankings, ranking third among the most attractive countries for investment.
As for the main index, the United States and Canada, countries that make up the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and are the country’s main economic partners, lead the list for the third consecutive year, ranking first and second, respectively.
“Investors highlight the strength of U.S. technological innovation and the high quality of Canada’s infrastructure as key drivers for investing in these markets,” the report noted.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany complete the top five on the list.
“Overall, developed markets continue to dominate the rankings, accounting for 19 of the top 25 markets in the global rankings, indicating that investors may be seeking perceived security and stability in a volatile world,” the firm emphasized.
Regarding the risks that concern investors, the consulting firm noted that these include rising commodity prices and geopolitical tensions due to increased global uncertainty, which could lead to supply chain disruptions.
“Thirty-eight percent of surveyed investors consider rising commodity prices most likely in the coming year, and 35 percent also cite increased geopolitical tensions as a likely development in 2025, seven percentage points higher than last year,” Kearney noted in its report.
According to Mexico’s Ministry of Economy , in 2024 the country received 36.872 billion dollars (mdd) of FDI , which represented an increase of 2.3% compared to 2023, when it was 36.058 billion dollars , reaching a new historical maximum.
The federal agency indicated that the United States remained Mexico’s main investment partner, accounting for 45% of total flows, reaching $16.513 billion . It was followed by Japan with 12% , Germany with 10% , Canada with 9% , and the Netherlands with 5%.
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