Likewise, according to a press release from this United Nations agency, it called on the countries of the region to take advantage of this income for energy transition and sustainable productive development.

Last year, the region received US$224,579 million in foreign direct investment, a record figure, especially due to the increase in Brazil due to the reinvestment of profits and also to the post-pandemic recovery. Brazil (41 %), Mexico (17 %), Chile (9 %), Colombia (8 %), Argentina (7 %) and Peru (5 %) are at the top of the list in the region.

"The challenge of attracting and retaining foreign direct investment (FDI) that effectively contributes to sustainable and inclusive productive development in the region is more pressing than ever. There are new opportunities in an era of reconfiguration of global value chains and geographic relocation of production in the face of changing globalization," said José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, who presented the main conclusions of the study Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2023.

Fifty-four percent of the investment went to the services sector, with good results in the manufacturing and natural resources sectors. In the services sector, electricity, gas and water; financial services; transportation, communications and information stand out.

The United States, with 38 %, and the European Union, with 17 %, were the main investors.