Border Trade Surges 41.4% in March 2025, Exceeding 100 Billion Baht
Cross-border transit trade to third countries surged 41.4% in March 2025 to exceed 100 billion baht, driven by electronics imports from China, Vietnam, and Singapore. Overall border and cross-border trade reached 178.3 billion baht in March
The Department of Foreign Trade has announced that border and cross-border trade in March 2025 reached a combined value of 178,320 million baht, growing 6.5% compared to the same period last year. Exports totaled 93,261 million baht (up 1.6%) while imports reached 85,059 million baht (up 12.4%), giving Thailand a trade surplus of 8,203 million baht.
For the first quarter of 2025, combined border and cross-border trade amounted to 478,897 million baht (up 2.5%), with exports at 256,886 million baht (up 0.4%) and imports at 222,011 million baht (up 5.1%), resulting in a quarterly trade surplus of 34,876 million baht.
Border trade with four neighboring countries totaled 72,689 million baht (down 21.6%), comprising exports of 44,764 million baht (down 19.8%) and imports of 27,925 million baht (down 24.3%), with a combined surplus of 16,839 million baht. Malaysia led bilateral border trade at 28,033 million baht (up 3.1%), followed by Laos at 25,571 million baht (down 4.4%), Myanmar at 17,085 million baht (down 7.4%), and Cambodia at zero.
Key border exports included diesel oil worth 6,045 million baht, refined petroleum products at 1,922 million baht, and computer equipment at 1,617 million baht. First-quarter border trade totaled 203,447 million baht (down 22.7%), with exports of 118,742 million baht (up 27.1%) and imports of 84,705 million baht (down 20.0%).
Cross-border transit trade to third countries surged to 105,631 million baht (up 41.4%), comprising exports of 48,498 million baht (up 34.8%) and imports of 57,134 million baht (up 47.4%). China dominated transit trade at 50,488 million baht (up 19.7%), followed by Vietnam and Singapore at 17,715 million baht (up 159.5%) and 17,066 million baht (up 80.8%) respectively.
Major cross-border exports included hard disk drives worth 9,865 million baht, telephone receivers and equipment at 5,661 million baht, and computer equipment at 2,963 million baht. First-quarter cross-border trade reached 275,450 million baht (up 35.0%), with exports of 138,144 million baht (up 40.0%) and imports of 137,306 million baht (up 30.4%).
Director Arada noted that March cross-border trade expanded 41.4% to exceed 100 billion baht, driven by growth in both exports and imports. Particularly notable was the 47.4% expansion in imports of electronics products, including computer components up 569.3% to 9,613 million baht, telecommunications equipment up 48.4% to 5,555 million baht, and magnetic storage media up 22.2% to 5,213 million baht.
Imports from China grew 34.9%, from Singapore 14.5%, and from Vietnam 208.5%. Border exports to Laos rebounded with 14.9% growth, led by diesel oil at 5,632 million baht (up 44.4%), refined petroleum at 1,453 million baht (up 44.1%), and pickup trucks at 594 million baht (up 180.5%). Exports to Myanmar grew 5.5%, featuring mobile phones and smartphones at 965 million baht (up 179.8%), miscellaneous chemicals at 522 million baht (up 434.8%), and beverages at 434 million baht (up 4.5%).
