PwC Predicts FDI Surge in Thailand Fueled by AI, EV
PwC Thailand forecasts a new wave of foreign direct investment driven by AI, electric vehicles, and digital sectors, predicting $86 billion in FDI for 2025. The report, released ahead of the IMF‑World Bank meetings in Bangkok, highlights Thailand’s role as an ASEAN gateway and its strengths in automotive, logistics, tourism, health, and agriculture.
PwC Thailand highlights that global supply-chain shifts, AI adoption, and energy transition are creating fresh investment opportunities for the country, encouraging FDI to flow into digital infrastructure, electronics, automotive, and food processing. The firm’s Thailand Investment Outlook: Hope, resilience, and growth report, released on October 6, 2026, ahead of the IMF‑World Bank meetings in Bangkok, notes that these trends reinforce Thailand’s position as a gateway to ASEAN. Preliminary FDI in Thailand for 2025 reached $86 billion (roughly 2.9 trillion baht), with China, Singapore, and the European Union among the top sources. The report cites Thailand’s competitive strengths— a domestic market of 71.7 million people, a robust automotive base, regional logistics network, and strengths in tourism, health, and food—as giving investors flexibility to expand across multiple industries. ASEAN’s population of about 700 million and combined economy of roughly $4.2 trillion (≈141.3 trillion baht) further boosts Thailand’s strategic appeal, especially given the bloc’s average annual growth of 4–5%. The analysis identifies four hubs where Thailand holds an edge: automotive, logistics, tourism and health, and agriculture and food processing. In automotive, Thailand remains Southeast Asia’s largest vehicle producer, making around 1.5 million small cars in 2025 and accelerating its EV ecosystem, with EVs accounting for 53% of new car sales in the first half of 2026. Logistics benefits from the country’s central location, expanding rail and port capacity, and 15 active free‑trade agreements that boost regional trade connectivity. Tourism and health saw around 33 million foreign tourists and about 3 million foreign patients in 2025, supporting wellness‑sector growth. In agriculture, Thailand ranks among the world’s top ten exporters and continues to leverage its ‘kitchen of the world’ reputation.
