Thailand sees a surge in foreign investment in early 2025

Foreign investment in Thailand increased by 34% in the first five months of 2025, with 426 foreign businesses approved to operate under the Foreign Business Act, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The total investment value reached 88.94 billion baht (about USD 2.5 billion), which is a 24% rise from the same period last year. There has been an increasing investor confidence, especially in digital services, contract manufacturing and bio-innovation.

Japan remained the top source of foreign investment, with 85 entities contributing over 41 billion baht. Japanese companies mainly focused on raw material procurement, software development and R&D in plastic engineering. The U.S. followed, targeting consulting services, retail and quality inspection in the gems and jewelry sector.

Chinese investment totaled 7.54 billion baht across 53 entities, driven by industrial procurement, EV services and software development. Singapore-based companies invested 11.43 billion baht into rail system technology, logistics and digital platforms. Hong Kong also had notable participation, especially in data centers, EV charging and warehousing.

Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) continues to draw most of the foreign capital. From January to May, 129 foreign companies invested in the EEC, making up 54% of total FDI or 47.74 billion baht. Major sectors included retail, digital platforms, R&D and bio-innovation.

Japanese investors led EEC activity with 23.9 billion baht across 37 companies. China, Singapore and others also made significant contributions.