Total foreign investment into the country jumped by 137 per cent, or $512 million, in the first quarter of the financial year 2019-20, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported on Thursday.

The total investment during the July-September 2019 period clocked in at $886 million as compared to $374m during the same period in 2018.

In a breakup of the total investment, the central bank posted a 51pc increase in foreign private investment during the period under review. The investment under this head increased to $564m during the three-month period in contrast with $374m during the same quarter last year.

Foreign direct investment (FDI), however, decreased by 3pc during the period under review to $542 million as compared to $559m during the same months last year.

On a month-on-month basis, total foreign investment rose to $622m during September 2019 as compared to $126m during the same month in 2018. The FDI also increased to $385m during September as opposed to $182m during September 2018.