India’s share of global greenfield investment between 2020 and 2025 was more than double China’s, according to the Trade and Development Report 2026 from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), The Hindu reported.
Greenfield investment means money put by companies into new ventures in another country.
Quick Facts
| India | 5.7 percent |
| Malaysia | 4 percent |
| Indonesia | 3.8 percent |
| China | 2.8 percent |
| Global total, 2020–25 | $845.7 billion |
The Shift to Strategic Sectors
The report says strategic sectors grew from 16 percent to 44 percent of global greenfield investment between 2020 and 2025.
- AI infrastructure and related technologies: 12.4 percent
- Semiconductor value chain: 8.1 percent
- Energy transition technologies and services: 7.8 percent
Where Strategic Investment Goes
Investment in these sectors remains concentrated in richer regions.
- Europe: 28.4 percent
- North America: 28 percent
- Developing Asia: 26.5 percent
Within developing Asia, the report names China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore as the leading destinations.
The Caution
“The geographic disparity in strategic investment underscores the growing integration challenges for the global South, especially for the least developed countries,” the report said.
The report also notes that India ranks high in the number of industrial policies it has adopted.
Source: The Hindu (9 October 2026).
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