Capital formation is a term used in
national accounts statistics and
macroeconomics. It basically refers to the net additions to the (physical) capital
stock in an accounting period, or, to the value of the increase of the capital stock; though it may occasionally also refer to the total stock of capital formed. Thus, in
UNSNA, capital formation equals
fixed capital investment, the increase in the value of inventories held, plus (net) lending to foreign countries, during an accounting period. Capital is said to be "formed" when savings are used for investment purposes, often investment in production.
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