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Largest Acquisitions | Top 20 States | Top 20 Countries | Top 20 Industries


Foreign Acquisitions of U.S. Businesses


Top 20 Countries

Transactions are from July, 1978 through July, 2008


Countries Number of Acquisitions Total Acquisition Amount
United kingdom 4,202 $626,586,779,436
Canada 3,527 $267,746,095,003
Germany 997 $238,370,342,846
France 963 $170,766,341,587
Netherlands 665 $148,019,455,781
Switzerland 528 $107,129,547,152
Australia 622 $99,969,781,173
Japan 1,129 $94,768,004,998
Bermuda 216 $77,469,778,885
Sweden 439 $40,251,558,718
Unknown 370 $38,761,285,814
Italy 191 $27,614,297,770
Spain 148 $26,375,962,535
Ireland-rep 349 $21,638,920,069
Israel 195 $20,637,705,985
Finland 153 $18,641,642,626
Belgium 165 $17,845,070,095
Singapore 125 $15,823,495,867
Saudi arabia 9 $13,930,700,000
Mexico 84 $13,433,944,991



All attempts have been made to indicate the country of ultimate ownership for foreign companies acquiring US companies. However, it may be possible that ownership of these foreign companies may be held by a third country. For example, the higher than average number of acquisitions made by United Kingdom and Canadian companies suggest that other countries may be using their foreign-owned subsidiaries in these countries as pass-through vehicles.