Just about any country you can think of has interests in the United States, ranging from policy concerns to tourism and trade promotion. Many governments, companies and other entities pay foreign agents to influence U.S. policy and opinion in pursuit of those interests.
Foreign Lobby Watch uses the semi-annual reports foreign agents are required to file with the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to calculate the countries with the highest spending, learn more about different registrants acting on behalf of foreign interests, and more!
$2,271,966,227
Total Spending since 2016
544
Number of Foreign Principals since 2016
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Top 10 Countries, 2016-2020
| Country | Total Spending |
|---|---|
| Japan | $169,715,599 |
| South Korea | $144,190,256 |
| Liberia | $128,072,628 |
| Israel | $126,707,873 |
| Saudi Arabia | $101,871,664 |
| Qatar | $101,729,531 |
| Ireland | $97,865,848 |
| Bermuda | $91,158,156 |
| China | $87,385,296 |
| United Arab Emirates | $83,086,261 |
Top 10 Foreign Principals, 2016-2020
| Foreign Principal | Total Spending |
|---|---|
| Government of Japan | $137,926,342 |
| Government of Liberia | $127,000,303 |
| Government of Bermuda | $91,158,156 |
| Government of Saudi Arabia | $83,072,838 |
| Government of the Bahamas | $80,397,165 |
| Government of Ireland | $74,784,754 |
| Government of the Marshall Islands | $70,520,100 |
| Government of Israel | $69,900,379 |
| Government of South Korea | $65,453,458 |
| Barzan Holdings | $60,171,631 |
In addition to attempts to influence policy and public opinion, FARA requires registration for activities including tourism and trade promotion on behalf of a foreign principal. In some cases, the majority of a foreign principal’s activity is in support of these non-policy interests.
Figures on this page are calculations by the Center for Responsive Politics based on reports made available by the Department of Justice and updated daily. Totals reflect payments received between January 1, 2016 and present. Read more about our methodology.
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