Trinidad and Tobago: Investing

FDI in Figures

According to UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, Trinidad and Tobago experienced a negative FDI inflow in 2024, amounting to -USD 799 million (after a cumulative -USD 3.4 billion in the previous three years), primarily due to a steep decline in investment by energy firms, which dominate the country's FDI stock. At the end of the same period, the total stock of inward FDI stood at USD 7.67 billion, around 30% of the country’s GDP. Despite this, there were notable announcements of new projects: in 2025, Trinidad and Tobago saw major FDI activity, particularly in energy. A shallow-water bid round concluded in February secured USD 1.08 billion in commitments from EOG, BP, and BG International, while a new deepwater licensing round was launched in January. In March, Woodside Energy agreed to sell offshore assets to Perenco for USD 206 million, with closing expected in Q3. In April, the government launched “Global Trinidad and Tobago”, a new unified investment agency, and announced it had attracted USD 8.1 billion in energy-sector FDI since 2016, with USD 9.3 billion more expected by 2028.

Trinidad and Tobago sustains an economy reliant on trade, marked by an overall welcoming environment for investment. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago (GoTT) is actively pursuing measures to enhance intellectual property protection, harness new financial technologies for better service delivery, simplify the tax system, and streamline customs procedures. Although it operates as a free market, the GoTT actively participates in economic development through various state enterprises. Formal investment barriers have largely been removed, with foreign investors not mandated to engage in joint ventures or yield management control to local entities. According to the Foreign Investment Act of 1990, foreign investors are allowed full ownership of share capital in private companies, subject to licensing requirements for ownership exceeding 30% in public companies. Trinidad and Tobago employs an investment screening mechanism for foreign investment, particularly for projects seeking sector-specific incentives, notably in tourism. There are no constraints on reinvestment or repatriation of earnings or capital. While the judicial system, inclusive of arbitration and mediation centres, prioritises contract sanctity, it is known for its sluggishness, affecting both domestic and foreign matters. However, factors that discourage foreign investment include a poorly diversified economy heavily dependent on gas and petrochemical revenues, difficult weather conditions, and the country's heavy dependence on oil prices in the international market. Moreover, since 2021, the country has been on the European list of "non-cooperative tax jurisdictions". In April 2025, Trinidad and Tobago overhauled its investment promotion framework by consolidating InvesTT, exporTT, and CreativeTT into a unified agency called Global Trinidad and Tobago. The country ranks 82nd among the 180 economies on the Corruption Perception Index 2024 and 69th out of 184 on the latest Index of Economic Freedom.

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Latest Update: October 2025