Central Asia is considered as one of the subregions of developing Asia, demonstrating positive dynamics in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, according to the World Investment Report 2026 by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Key findings for the region:
Overall trends: FDI inflows to Central Asia increased from $4 billion to $5 billion in 2025. The region is characterized by growing investor interest against the backdrop of broader geopolitical changes.
Key driver countries: The primary growth was driven by investments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Sectoral structure
Investment activity in the subregion was concentrated in extractive industries and infrastructure.
Metals and metal products emerged as leaders, accounting for approximately 45% of all announced greenfield projects in the region. Other important sectors include energy, transport and storage, the chemical industry, the food industry, and ICT.
The role of landlocked developing countries (LLDCs): Central Asian countries belong to the group of landlocked developing countries. In the Asian LLDC group, investment inflows rose by 13%, which was largely driven by reinvested earnings rather than new equity capital injections.
Significant projects and investment linkages:
- Largest project: In Kazakhstan, the Chinese group East Hope Group announced a project in the non-ferrous metals sector valued at over $12 billion.
- Green energy: Uzbekistan attracted large investments in solar and wind energy projects from investors in China and Saudi Arabia.
- Regional cooperation: The report highlights the importance of intraregional capital flows, exemplified by investments from China into Kazakhstan.
Statistical indicators (Millions of dollars):
FDI stock (Inward Stock): At the end of 2025, the total inward FDI stock in Central Asia is estimated at $235,562 million.
Inflows: Despite the growth in 2025, the figures remain below the peak values of 2022 ($9,825 million).
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is assigned to the group of developing countries in Central Asia and is classified as a landlocked developing country (LLDC).
FDI inflows dynamics (Millions of dollars): The report provides estimated data on annual investment inflows into the country for the period from 2020 to 2025:
- 2020: 1,436 million
- 2021: 489 million
- 2022: 556 million
- 2023: 623 million
- 2024: 684 million
- 2025: 701 million
FDI stock (Millions of dollars): Statistics for accumulated internal investments (inward stock) are also based on estimates:
- 2000: 949 million
- 2010: 13,442 million
- 2024: 41,665 million
- 2025: 42,367 million
///nCa, 13 July 2026