Thailand Climbs Four Spots to 43rd in World Talent Ranking 2025

 

Thailand has made a notable leap in the IMD World Talent Ranking 2025, climbing four places from 47th to 43rd.

 

This marks the first time in several years that the nation has improved its position after a period of stagnation and decline.

 

The report, which assesses an economy’s ability to attract and retain skilled professionals, highlights the growing importance of financial security for top talent worldwide.

 

In the ASEAN region, Thailand now ranks third out of five countries, trailing only Singapore and Malaysia.

 

Malaysia saw a remarkable improvement, jumping eight places to 25th globally—its highest ranking in five years—with gains across all three key assessment criteria.

 

In contrast, Singapore dropped sharply from 2nd to 7th, with the report citing weaknesses in education spending and cost of living.

 

Indonesia, which was ahead of Thailand last year at 46th, fell to 53rd, primarily due to low investment in education. The Philippines also dropped one spot to 64th.

 

In the wider Asia-Pacific region, Thailand ranks 10th out of 14 economies.

 

 

Key Performance Areas

The IMD report ranks 69 economies based on three core pillars: Investment & Development, Appeal, and Readiness.

 

Investment & Development: Thailand showed significant improvement, rising from 46th to 41st. A key factor was its health infrastructure, which ranked 12th globally, well above the Asia-Pacific average.

 

Readiness: This pillar saw a small gain, with Thailand moving from 49th to 47th. While overall worker skills and general education metrics declined, the country ranked 8th in the proportion of STEM graduates.

 

Appeal: This was Thailand’s weakest area, with its ranking dropping from 27th to 33rd. This was largely driven by a 12-place decline in the "brain drain" metric and an 11-place drop in the "minimum wage" ranking. However, Thailand performed well in the cost of living index (22nd), work motivation (20th), and personal income tax (14th).

 

The overall four-place jump represents a welcome rebound for Thailand, which had been in a downward trend since reaching 42nd in 2018.

 

 

Global Trends in Talent

The report indicates a global shift in talent priorities.

 

Financial stability and tangible benefits are now the primary drivers for international relocation, a change from the pre-pandemic era where factors like quality of life and cultural fit were more important.

 

IMD’s senior economist, José Caballero, explained that financial incentives are most critical for executives in economies facing rapid change or uncertainty.

 

In the global ranking, Switzerland maintained its top position, followed by Luxembourg and Iceland. Switzerland's decade-long dominance is attributed to its strong institutions and robust education system, though it is facing increasing challenges in finding talent for new technologies like AI.

 

The report also noted a number of other changes. The UAE entered the top ten for the first time, landing at 9th, a sign of its rapid policy development and infrastructure.

 

The US and China remained stable at 22nd and 38th, respectively. Meanwhile, most of the top ten are still European countries, which IMD Director Arturo Bris credits to their mature talent development systems.