Pakistan, Nov. 14 -- The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in its World Investment Report 2026, reported that global foreign direct investment rose by 6% in 2025 to approximately $1.6 trillion. Yet the recovery was uneven: inflows to developed economies increased by 11%, while developing economies recorded growth of only 2%, reaching approximately $901 billion. UNCTAD also reported that strategic sectors accounted for 44% of global greenfield investment project values, compared with 16% in 2020.

These figures suggest that the composition and distribution of investment matter as much as the headline total. Capital is increasingly being directed towards strategically important activities, including advanced techn...