TBILISI, DFWatch–Direct foreign investments in Georgia dropped by 47 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to the previous year, according to a new report by National Statistics Department, GeoStat.

According to preliminary data, the total amount of foreign investments in Q4 of 2012 was USD 181 million, which is 53 percent of the same period in 2011, when it totaled USD 342.6 million.

The top investor countries in the measured period were Netherlands – USD 61.6 million, Azerbaijan – 34.2 million, China – 13.7 million, followed by Cyprus, UK, Turkey, Switzerland and France.

USD 58.1 million out of the investments went into manufacturing, USD 28 million to energy, USD 28.3 – to the finance sector.

The total amount of FDI in 2012, according to preliminary data, was USD 865 million, which is 23 percent less than in 2011.

Investments came from 66 countries in 2012, while there were 65 countries investing in Georgia in 2011, and 62 countries in 2010.

The largest investor country in 2012 remained Germany with USD 141.7 million, followed by Netherlands – USD 87.5 million and Turkey – USD 87.1 million, while the most popular sectors are manufacturing – USD 191.7 million, energy – USD 171.4 million and finance sector with USD 155.6 million.