Number of foreign investors in first two months rises by 68%

In the first two months of 2025, 181 foreign investors were approved to invest in Thailand, marking a 68% increase, the Business Development Department (BDD) announced on Wednesday.

BDD Director-General Oramon Supthaweetham stated that the number of foreigners permitted to invest under the provisions of the Alien Business Act BE 2542 rose by 68% compared to the same period last year.

The 181 foreign firms made a combined investment of 35.277 billion baht, an increase of 8.738 billion baht or 33% compared to the first two months of the previous year.

She noted that the top five countries with the highest number of investors in Thailand during this period were:

• Japan: 38 investors (21% of all foreign investors), with a combined investment of 13.676 billion baht. They primarily invested in supply chain businesses, providing raw materials and parts for industries.
• China: 23 investors (13%), with a combined investment of 5.133 billion baht. They mainly invested in supply chain businesses.
• Singapore: 23 investors (13%), with a combined investment of 4.49 billion baht. Their key investment areas included modern logistics centres, rubber tyre development, and data centres.
• United States: 19 investors (11%), with a combined investment of 1.372 billion baht. They primarily invested in retail businesses and data technology for stock trading.
• Hong Kong: 16 investors (9%), with a combined investment of 1.587 billion baht. Their investments focused on technical and engineering businesses and modern logistics centres.

She further stated that 57 of the 181 foreign firms invested in the Eastern Economic Corridor, with a total investment value of 17.546 billion baht, broken down as follows:

• Japan: 19 firms, 8.096 billion baht
• China: 14 firms, 2.751 billion baht
• Singapore: 8 firms, 2.191 billion baht
• Other nations: 16 firms, 4.508 billion baht