Lithuania has continued its strong growth in attracting foreign direct investment projects over the first half of 2014 despite a fall in investments in the region as a whole, according fDi Markets, The Financial Times' database of foreign direct investment (FDI), Invest Lithuania, foreign direct investment development agency, reports.

The database notes that, overall, the number of new foreign investment projects has decreased in the Central and Eastern European region. However, in Lithuania the number of new projects has increased by a quarter. For the number of projects per one million residents, Lithuania has twice as many investments as the Central and Eastern European regional average, double that of Estonia and almost 7 times more than Latvia, writes LETA/ELTA.

According to data from fDi Markets, during the first half of 2014, the number of investment projects decreased most in Latvia, which saw a decline of 67%. The attractiveness of Estonia has also been decreasing, with the number of new FDI projects falling by 44% compared to the same period in 2013.

However, strong growth in FDI projects has been observed in Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria and Hungary. Whilst the largest growth has been in Bulgaria, where the number of new FDI projects has increased by 50%, Lithuania ranks second for growth in its attractiveness to foreign investors. The number of companies establishing new operations in Lithuania, or expanding existing ones, has increased by 25% over the first half of 2014. Hungary and Poland lag behind Lithuania (with 15% and 12% growth respectively).

Lithuania is the unquestionable regional leader for the number of investment projects relative to population size. During the first half of 2014, there were 6.7 investment projects established for every million residents, compared to 3.8 in Estonia and 1 in Latvia. Furthermore, Lithuania has double the average rate for Central and Eastern Europe, which stands at 3.2 new foreign investment projects per one million residents.

According to Arvydas Arnasius, director general of Invest Lithuania, this development highlights the continued growth of Lithuania as an attractive investment location: "Looking at both the arrival of new foreign investors and the expansion of existing operations, the trend is clear – Lithuania is undoubtedly the regional leader. Investors looking for business opportunities choose stable environments with well-developed infrastructure, highly skilled employees and attractive business costs. Lithuania is able to offer all of these and that is why we are continuing to see strong growth in investor interest in Lithuania".