Denmark registered a decrease in FDI project numbers in 2011, while Sweden and Norway both saw increases.

fDi Markets' shared service centre rankings show that Poland is the industry's rising star. India remains the leading destination for SSC projects, though it has experienced a dip in recent years.

With a 10% increase in project numbers in 2011, and more than twice  as many projects as China, the second most popular destination, the US  has retained its position as the leading destination for European FDI.

Latvia attracted an increasing number of FDI projects in 2011, narrowing the gap between it and the most popular Baltic FDI destination, Lithuania.

Inward foreign investment levels in Kuwait have consistently decreased over the past four years, with capital investment levels falling by as much as 60% in 2009, according to fDi Markets data.

Chinese companies are showing increasing appetite for investment abroad, with outward FDI project figures nearly quadrupling in the past seven years.

The UK overtook China to regain its position as the top destination country for North American FDI in 2011.

There was a record number of projects in the US sales, marketing and support sector in 2011, making it the second most popular sector for FDI in the US.

In 2011 record levels of Indian FDI capital was invested into the African manufacturing sector.

In 2011, there was a 27% increase in the number of FDI projects into Africa compared to 2010. This was the largest increase experienced by any global region in this period, but despite this significant growth, Africa still  accounts for less than 5% of all projects globally.