22 Jun 2015, 10:18 am
The World Bank's 'private participation in infrastructure' database tracks private investment in infrastructure in 139 low- and middle-income economies.
The Latin American and Caribbean region was particularly strong in 2014, with Brazil, Colombia and Peru attracting $69.1bn in investment, or 55% of the global total, the World Bank said.
Brazil has been popular for investment for several years now, especially in transport and water projects, the World Bank said. It saw investments worth $44.2bn in 2014, 41% of the global share. It previously enjoyed a 24% share of global investment in 2013, and a 42% share in 2012, the report said.
However, four out of six regions saw declining investment levels: commitments in East Asia and Pacific countries, Europe and Central Asia, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa all dropped from the year before.
Chinese investment in 2014 was $2.5bn, its lowest level since 2010 and a 68% drop from $7.8 billion in 2013.
Investment in India reached a nine-year low in 2014, falling to $6.2bn.
The energy sector attracted the highest number of new projects internationally, but the transport sector brought in the most money, at $55.3bn, or 51% of total global investment commitments. Roads were the most popular investment, with $28.5bn committed on 33 projects.
2014 saw the highest-ever average project size, at $419 million, reflecting a decade-long trend towards larger projects, the World Bank said.
