united nations india received 51 billion in foreign investment in 2019 and was the worlds 9th largest recipient of foreign direct investments fdi in 2019 according to a report by the uns trade bodythe un conference on trade and development unctad said in a report on monday that a lower but positive economic growth in india in the postcovid19 pandemic period and indias large market will continue to attract marketseeking investments to the countrythe world investment report 2020 by the unctad said that india was the 9th largest recipient of fdi in 2019 with 51 billion of inflows during the year an increase from the 42 billion of fdi received in 2018 when india ranked 12 among the top 20 host economies in the worldin the developing asia region india was among the top five host economies for fdithe report said that global fdi flows are forecast to decrease by up to 40 per cent in 2020 from their 2019 value of 154 trillionthis would be for the first time since 2005 that global fdi falls below the 1 trillion markforeign direct investment to developing economies in asia hit hard by the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic are projected to decline by up to 45 per cent in 2020in south asia fdi is also expected to contract sharply in 2020in india the biggest fdi host in the subregion with more than 70 per cent of inward stock the number of greenfield investment announcements declined by four per cent in the first quarter and merger acquisitions contracted by 58however the countrys economy could prove the most resilient in the region fdi to india has been on a longterm growth trend positive albeit lower economic growth in the postpandemic period and indias large market will continue to attract marketseeking investments to the country the report saidit added that the magnitude of the logistical challenges during both the lockdown and the recovery remain a big downside risk for fdi in the medium term for indiathe digital economy and real estate and property development two industries that attracted growing fdi before the pandemic could evolve in different directions the report said adding that the digital economy will likely see continued investments real estate and property development will face significant pressures from slowing demand and financing constraintsindias most soughtafter industries which include professional services and the digital economy could see a faster rebound as global venture capital firms and technology companies continue to show interest in indias market through acquisitions the report saidthe report noted that investors concluded deals worth over 650 million in the first quarter of 2020 mostly in the digital sector in indialarge deals in energy were also concluded such as the acquisition by total france of adani gas india valued at 800 millionfdi flows to south asia increased by 10 per cent to 57 billion in 2019 the growth driven largely by a rise in investment in india which further relaxed investment barriers in mid2019 including in retail