According to the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corp, foreign direct investment in the Arab states (minus Syria) rose almost 10 percent from 2011 to 2012, though total investment is still significantly lower than it was in 2010, before the outbreak of popular uprisings in several Arab countries.
The four nations that underwent revolutions in 2011-2012–Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Yemen–all saw major increases in foreign investment in 2012.
In Egypt, the value of FDI rose from a negative $483 million in 2011 to $2.8bn last year. In Tunisia it increased by 68 percent to $1.95bn.
Foreign direct investment in Libya rose from a flat 2011 to $720 million last year, and in Yemen it increased from $713m in the red to $4m in the black.
Overall leaders in foreign investment were Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon.
