Country import demand

Thailand
import demand

A reported view of Thailand's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.

THA1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsEconomy and income contracted
Latest imports$294.6B2024 reported
Import growth+4.6%Year on year
Population71.7MReported population
GDP per capita$7.3KCurrent-dollar GDP
Trade openness107.7%Exports + imports / GDP

The country import read

What does Thailand import?

In 2024, Thailand recorded $294.6B in reported imports. Imports changed +4.6% year on year and +4.3% annualized over three years. Electrical machinery was the largest displayed import sector.

Import history

A long view of demand

Latest twelve years from the reported country series.

Reported imports by year

2013
$247.5B
2014
$220.4B
2015
$199.3B
2016
$190.2B
2017
$213.7B
2018
$238.6B
2019
$224.2B
2020
$198.5B
2021
$259.3B
2022
$293.8B
2023
$281.7B
2024
$294.6B

Demand drivers

The economy behind import demand

Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.

GDP$526.5B2024 macro context
GDP growth-0.7%Five-year CAGR
Population growth0%Five-year CAGR
Investment rate25.5%National rate
Savings rate30.7%National rate
Trade openness107.7%Exports + imports / GDP

Import portfolio

The sectors shaping demand

All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.

Import demand by HS2All returned · 2024
Leading import sectors for Thailand
RankSectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
1Electrical machineryHS2 85$62.4B21.2%186262
2MachineryHS2 84$35.8B12.1%168515
3VehiclesHS2 87$10.7B3.6%13087
4RubberHS2 40$2.8B0.9%12780
5Precious stones and metalsHS2 71$20.6B7%14751
6PlasticsHS2 39$10.1B3.4%164129
7Mineral fuelsHS2 27$44.8B15.2%10043
8Optical and medical instrumentsHS2 90$7.1B2.4%140142
9Prepared meat and fishHS2 16$751.4M0.3%6842
10Edible fruit and nutsHS2 08$1.4B0.5%6668

Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.

Supply diversification

Where import exposure is spread

Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.

Supplier markets270Reported partner count
Partner concentration686.6Partner HHI
Top 3 partner share38.5%Reported concentration
FTA partner markets19Reported count
Average distance9,266 kmCalculated average
Macro resilienceEconomy and income contractedCountry context
Complete country valuesOpen the full import evidenceFull profile, history, and HS2 sector fields remain available here and in the downloads.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3THA
Exports Usd$316.5B
Imports Usd$294.6B
Trade Balance Usd$21.9B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct5.7%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct4.6%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct3.5%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct4.3%
Export Partner Hhi686.6
Export Product Hhi86.9
Momentum Score5.1
Risk Score3.9
Gdp Million Usd526,517.7 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$7.3K
Population71,668,011
Labor Force39,001.3
Investment Rate Pct25.5%
Savings Rate Pct30.7%
Secondary Education Pct64.7%
Tertiary Education Pct16.5%
Total Factor Productivity624.3
Trade Openness Pct107.7%
Exports Gdp Pct55.8%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners19
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners5%
Num Shared Language Partners0%
Avg Partner Distance Km9,266 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.3 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta7
Pct Partners Shared Language0%
Pct Partners Shared Border1.9%
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp0.1
Avg Distance All Partners Km9,441 km
Num Border Partners100
Num Colonial Partners0
Avg Substitution Elasticity-10.7
Pct Products High Elasticity75.8
Pct Products Low Elasticity2.7
Real Market Potential202,663.3
Foreign Market Potential8,699.2

Supplier context

Country Iso3THA
All History Lane Count44,829
Current Lane Count37,782
Critical Lane Count452
High Attention Lane Count9,447
High Volatility Lane Count21,633
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count18,861
Declining Demand Lane Count251
Concentrated Market Lane Count18,916
Access Friction Lane Count15,778
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count3,477
Monitored Exports Current Usd$305.4B
Attention Exports Usd$194.9B
Critical Exports Usd$20.8B
High Volatility Exports Usd$151.8B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$58.3B
Non Fta Exports Usd$139.8B
Monitored Attention Share Pct63.8%
Monitored Critical Share Pct6.8%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct54.1%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct23.5%
Export Weighted Distance Km6,760 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$316.5B
Total Imports Latest Usd$294.6B
Trade Balance Latest Usd$21.9B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct5.7%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct3.5%
Gdp Latest Million Usd526,517.7 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$7.3K
Population Latest71,668,011
Investment Rate Latest Pct25.5%
Savings Rate Latest Pct30.7%
Trade Openness Latest Pct107.7%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct55.8%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest19
Foreign Market Potential Latest8,699.2
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct-0.7%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct-0.7%
Population 5y Cagr Pct0%
Partner Hhi Latest686.6
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct18%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct38.5%
Partner Hhi All Avg697.7
Partner Hhi All Max974.3
Product Hhi Latest86.9
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct4.1%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct10.4%
Product Hhi All Avg104.1
Product Hhi All Max150.8
Total Exports Attention Share Pct61.6%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct6.6%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverHigh trade volatility
Macro Resilience LabelEconomy and income contracted

Annual import history

YearImportsExportsBalanceImports YoY
1995$66.1B$54.6B-$11.5B+0%
1996$67.6B$56.3B-$11.2B+2.3%
1997$59.1B$58.5B-$620.0M-12.5%
1998$40.2B$54.9B$14.7B-32%
1999$47.1B$60.8B$13.7B+17.2%
2000$59.3B$72.1B$12.8B+25.7%
2001$58.3B$68.1B$9.8B-1.6%
2002$61.8B$70.9B$9.1B+6%
2003$73.1B$82.6B$9.5B+18.3%
2004$92.2B$100.3B$8.1B+26.1%
2005$112.4B$115.1B$2.6B+21.9%
2006$122.5B$135.3B$12.9B+8.9%
2007$133.8B$157.0B$23.2B+9.2%
2008$167.9B$182.9B$15.0B+25.5%
2009$128.9B$157.6B$28.7B-23.2%
2010$174.1B$199.4B$25.3B+35.1%
2011$215.5B$230.3B$14.8B+23.8%
2012$238.4B$228.5B-$9.9B+10.6%
2013$247.5B$227.0B-$20.6B+3.8%
2014$220.4B$228.6B$8.2B-11%
2015$199.3B$218.3B$19.0B-9.6%
2016$190.2B$221.1B$30.8B-4.5%
2017$213.7B$241.7B$27.9B+12.4%
2018$238.6B$257.2B$18.6B+11.6%
2019$224.2B$251.5B$27.3B-6%
2020$198.5B$239.5B$41.0B-11.5%
2021$259.3B$285.4B$26.1B+30.6%
2022$293.8B$310.5B$16.8B+13.3%
2023$281.7B$299.3B$17.6B-4.1%
2024$294.6B$316.5B$21.9B+4.6%

Import sectors

RankHS2SectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
185Electrical machinery$62.4B21.2%186262
284Machinery$35.8B12.1%168515
387Vehicles$10.7B3.6%13087
440Rubber$2.8B0.9%12780
571Precious stones and metals$20.6B7%14751
639Plastics$10.1B3.4%164129
727Mineral fuels$44.8B15.2%10043
890Optical and medical instruments$7.1B2.4%140142
916Prepared meat and fish$751.4M0.3%6842
1008Edible fruit and nuts$1.4B0.5%6668

Questions about this profile

Thailand import demand, in context

Short answers for import and supplier research.

What does the Thailand import profile measure?

It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for Thailand.

What is the latest reported import value for Thailand?

Thailand recorded $294.6B in reported imports in 2024.

Which sectors lead Thailand's imports?

Electrical machinery leads by reported import value at $62.4B.

How many years of Thailand import history are available?

This profile contains 30 annual rows covering 1995 through 2024.

What drives import demand?

GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.

Are the growth and concentration values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.

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Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.