MOSCOW. Feb 22 (Interfax) - Russian investment abroad grew 43.6% to $74.63 billion in 2007 compared to 2006, the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) said on Friday.

The repayment of earlier Russian investment abroad amounted to $58.5 billion in 2007, up 29.4% compared to 2006.

Cumulative investment abroad stood at $32.061 billion at the end of 2007. This was less than investment made in 2007 only, since Russian investment is often short-term.

Direct investment totaled $13.944 billion in the period, portfolio investment - $2.398 billion and other investment - $15.719 billion.

Cumulative investment was highest in Cyprus at $9.985 billion, the Netherlands at $7.319 billion, the Virgin Islands at $4.677 billion, Austria at $1.067 billion, the United Kingdom at $966 million, Ukraine at $811 million, the United States at $1.176 million, Belarus at $771 million and Germany at $732 million and Switzerland at $461 million.

Russian businesses invested $22.796 billion in the U.S. in 2007 (the U.S. invested $2.839 billion in Russia in that period), $9.230 billion in Cyprus, $10.372 billion in Austria, $6.874 billion in the Netherlands, $7.311 billion in Germany, $5.083 billion in the Virgin Islands, $4.563 in Switzerland, $1.89 billion in the UK, $1.314 billion in Belarus and $514 million in Ukraine.