Inflow of foreign direct investment in Georgia decreased 7.3% year-to-year in third quarter of 2010 to USD 160.4 million, according to preliminary figures released by the statistics office, Geostat, on December 14.

FDI in the first quarter was USD 75.7 million, increasing to USD 196.9 million in the second quarter, according to preliminary official figures.

Total FDI for January-September – USD 433 million – is down by 6.6% year-to-year.

The Netherlands was the largest investor in the third quarter of 2010 with USD 27.9 million, followed by the United States with USD 21.6 million; Russia – USD 18.6 million; Azerbaijan – USD 16.2 million and United Arab Emirates – USD 13.5 million.

Financial sector attracted biggest share of FDI in the third quarter with USD 49.7 million (31%), followed by transport and communications sector – USD 40.5 million (25%); real estate – USD 33.6 million (21%) and energy sector – USD 16 million (10%).

Georgian PM Nika Gilauri said in an interview with Reuters on December 13, that FDI figures “are not at good levels yet.”

“But we see economic activity... and about USD 1 billion or above USD 800-USD 850 million of FDI for next year will be very healthy for the economy,” he said.