Handbook for Investors. Business location in Switzerland.

2.2.2 Direct investments
In addition to being very closely linked to foreign markets through
the trade of goods and services, Switzerland has also built strong
international relationships through investments due to its location,
lack of natural resources and the relatively small size of its
domestic market. This can be seen in the ratio of Swiss direct
investments abroad to nominal GDP, which was 145 % at the end
of 2007. Switzerland is the ninth-largest foreign direct investor
in the world in absolute terms, and measured against GDP, it
ranks fourth. It is the seventh-largest direct investor in the US;
15.4 %, or CHF 113,736 million, of all Swiss direct investments
are made in the US. Switzerland itself is also an attractive location
for foreign investors, in particular for investors from the EU
(71.6 %, CHF 271,854 million) and the US. Direct investments by
US investors in Switzerland total CHF 69,628 million or 18.3 %.
Fig. 14: Direct investments
Direct investments at end of 2007
Swiss direct investments
abroad
Foreign direct investments
in Switzerland
in million CHF in % in million CHF in %
Total 740,472 100.0 % 379,894 100.0 %
EU 291,697 39.4 % 271,854 71.6 %
UK 57,076 7.7 % 17,039 4.5 %
Germany 49,153 6.6 % 28,257 7.4 %
Netherlands 33,968 4.6 % 83,880 22.1 %
Luxembourg 31,963 4.3 % 22,779 6.0 %
France 29,373 4.0 % 34,701 9.1 %
Italy 23,131 3.1 % 5,931 1.6 %
Spain 13,038 1.8 % 1,403 0.4 %
Austria 8,049 1.1 % 57,707 15.2 %
Rest of Europe 52,333 7.1 % 2,484 0.7 %
Offshore financial centers 35,235 4.8 % n.a.
Russian Federation 5,639 0.8 % n.a.
North America 147,956 20.0 % 72,966 19.2 %
US 113,736 15.4 % 69,628 18.3 %
Canada 34,220 4.6 % 3,338 0.9 %
Central and South America 164,732 22.2 % 29,249 7.7 %
Brazil 34,689 4.7 % n.a.
Offshore financial centers 117,877 15.9 % 27,077 7.1 %
Asia, Africa, Oceania 83,756 11.3 % 3,341 0.9 %
Japan 13,682 1.8 % 932 0.2 %
Singapore 13,547 1.8 % n.a.
China 4,754 0.6 % n.a.
Hong Kong SAR 4,505 0.6 % n.a.
Taiwan 1,110 0.1 % n.a.
India 2,751 0.4 % n.a.
Australia 11,893 1.6 % n.a.
Source: SNB, 2007 direct investments, www.snb.ch
Handbook for Investors 2010
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