One of the most important determinants of foreign direct investment is the size as well as the growth prospects of the economy of the country where the foreign direct investment is being made.
It is normally assumed that if the country has a big market, it can grow quickly from an economic point of view and it is concluded that the investors would be able to make the most of their investments in that country.
In case of foreign direct investments that are based on export, the dimensions of the host country are important as there are opportunities for bigger economies of scale, as well as spill-over effects.
The population of a country plays an important role in attracting foreign direct investors to a country. In such cases the investors are lured by the prospects of a huge customer base.
Now if the country has a high per capita income or if the citizens have reasonably good spending capabilities then it would offer the foreign direct investors with the scope of excellent performances.
The status of the human resources in a country is also instrumental in attracting direct investment from overseas. There are certain countries like China that have taken an active interest in increasing the quality of their workers.
They have made it compulsory for every Chinese citizen to receive at least nine years of education. This has helped in enhancing the standards of the laborers in China.
If a particular country has plenty of natural resources it always finds investors willing to put their money in them. A good example would be Saudi Arabia and other oil rich countries that have had overseas companies investing in them in order to tap the unlimited oil resources at their disposal.
Inexpensive labor force is also an important determinant of attracting foreign direct investment. The BPO revolution, as well as the boom of the Information Technology companies in countries like India has been a proof of the fact that inexpensive labor force has played an important part in attracting overseas direct investment.
Infrastructural factors like the status of telecommunications and railways play an important part in having the foreign direct investors come into a particular country.
It has been observed that if the infrastructural facilities are properly in place in a country then that country receives a substantial amount of foreign direct investment. If a country has extended its arms to overseas investors and is also able to get access to the international markets then it stands a better chance of getting higher amounts of foreign direct investment.
It has been observed in the recent years that a couple of countries have altered their stance vis-a-vis overseas investment. They have reset their economic policies in order to suit the interests of the overseas investors.
These companies have increased the transparency of the legal frameworks in place. This has been done so that the overseas companies can understand the implications of their investment in a particular country and take the appropriate decisions.