Strong investment in automotive and semiconductor manufacturing facilities through September drove the steepest increase in four years in facility investment overall. 

According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Sunday, the facility investment index for the first nine months of the year rose four-point-three percent from a year earlier, marking its largest increase since 2021.

The automotive and semiconductor sectors led the growth.

Automotive facility investment jumped 15-point-six percent year-on-year, the highest figure since 2000, when it grew 33-point-nine percent.

Investment in semiconductor manufacturing equipment rose 15-point-seven percent, the largest increase since 2021.

On a monthly basis, facility investment in September increased 12-point-seven percent from the previous month, the largest monthly gain since February this year.