The OECD describes the index as follows: it "measures statutory restrictions on foreign direct investment in 22 economic sectors across 100+ countries". It covers four types of restriction: foreign equity limits, screening and approval mechanisms, restrictions on key foreign personnel, and other restrictions faced by foreign investors, such as restrictions on the acquisition of land and real estate for business purposes. The OECD adds: "The information in the database is based on official legal sources."
In the Invest Global dataset the economy-wide score runs from zero, which is open, to one, which is closed. The OECD terms for its data state that "you can extract from, download, copy, adapt, print, distribute, share and embed Data for any purpose, even for commercial use. You must give appropriate credit to the OECD". Invest Global credits the OECD as the source. The dataset covers 105 economies for 2025. Economies without a score are absent, and their absence says nothing about their rules.
| Economy | Score | Period | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libya | 0.737 | 2025 | OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index | 8 October 2026 |
| Lesotho | 0.406 | 2025 | OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index | 8 October 2026 |
| Laos | 0.403 | 2025 | OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index | 8 October 2026 |
| Seychelles | 0.397 | 2025 | OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index | 8 October 2026 |
| Algeria | 0.352 | 2025 | OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index | 8 October 2026 |
Libya stands apart at 0.737. The next four economies, Lesotho, Laos, Seychelles and Algeria, score between 0.406 and 0.352.
| Economy | Score | Period | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 0.000 | 2025 | OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index | 8 October 2026 |
| Paraguay | 0.006 | 2025 | OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index | 8 October 2026 |
| Finland | 0.006 | 2025 | OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index | 8 October 2026 |
| Luxembourg | 0.007 | 2025 | OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index | 8 October 2026 |
| Portugal | 0.007 | 2025 | OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index | 8 October 2026 |
The five lowest scores are United Kingdom at 0.000, Paraguay at 0.006, Finland at 0.006, Luxembourg at 0.007 and Portugal at 0.007.
The median score is 0.078. Libya, at 0.737, is well above it, and all five lowest entries sit below it. The data in this article contains only the top five, the bottom five and the median, so it makes no statement about the shape of the rest of the distribution.
The series label in the dataset reads: "FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index, all sectors (0 open, 1 closed)". The label shows that the score covers all sectors together and that zero is open and one is closed.
The scores shown are for 2025, as retrieved on 8 October 2026, and the sources list links to the OECD page for the index. This post makes no statement about specific ownership rules in any country. The index is a score published by the OECD, and the OECD page quoted above sets out what it measures. This article gives information only.
The data status page shows when the OECD series was last refreshed.
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Zero is the open end of the scale and one is the closed end. The OECD describes what the index measures in the passage quoted above, and a score is a summary of that measurement.
Libya scores 0.737 for 2025, the highest of the 105 economies covered. Lesotho follows at 0.406.
No. The score reports a measurement and nothing else. This article gives information only and does not recommend any market.
The dataset covers 105 economies for this index. Economies outside that set have no score, so they cannot be ranked here.
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