Central America is regional star of foreign investment

Foreign direct investment in Latin America fell for the third consecutive year in 2017, with declines of 4 percent in South America and of 8.8 percent in Mexico. Central America, however, bucked the trend by registering a 4.5 percent increase, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reported yesterday.

As usual in recent years, Panama was the region's number one recipient of FDI, with the Cobre Panamá project of Canada's Quantum Minerals accounting for $1.3 billion alone, followed by Costa Rica. 

How the countries ranked: Panama $6.07 billion; Costa Rica $$2.99 billion; Honduras $1.19 billion; Guatemala $1.15 billion; Nicaragua $897 million: El Salvador $792 million.