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UNCTAD · World Investment Report 2026

2025: The AI Shockwave

One chart explains where global investment money actually went — and why data centres dominated the year.

Largest sector swing

+$235B

Data centres · 2024→2025

In 2025 the global investment map rearranged itself around a single sector. Capital flooded into data centres while renewables, infrastructure, and manufacturing saw meaningful pullbacks. The chart below condenses UNCTAD Figure I.19 — the report's most cited visualization of the year.

Net shift

+$103B

Sectors

8

Source: UNCTAD, World Investment Report 2026 · Figure I.19 · Greenfield + project finance, 2024→2025

See also: Megaproject Explorer for named $1B+ deals behind these swings, and the Global FDI Dashboard for country-level inflows.

Display mode

Figure I.19 · Sectoral reallocation

Where 2025's investment money actually went

Change in announced value, US$ billions

Data centres (+$235B)Other gainsDeclines

UNCTAD WIR 2026 · unctad.org/wir

Select any bar to view named megadeals in that sector

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Questions & answers

01
Did AI investment really surge in 2025?
In announced greenfield and project-finance terms, data centres recorded a +$235B year-on-year swing — far larger than any other sector in UNCTAD Figure I.19. That reflects hyperscaler and semiconductor-linked megadeals, not broad-based economic gains.
02
Which sectors lost investment momentum?
Renewable energy (−$37B), general infrastructure (−$55B), and GVC-intensive manufacturing (−$55B) saw the steepest declines — consistent with capital rotating toward AI-linked assets.
03
What data underpins this chart?
UNCTAD World Investment Report 2026, Figure I.19: changes in aggregate greenfield and project finance values between 2024 and 2025, in billions of US dollars. Full report at unctad.org/wir.
04
How should journalists cite this?
Data: UNCTAD, World Investment Report 2026. Include a link to unctad.org/wir. Paraphrase findings; do not reproduce report text verbatim.