Open Development Thailand - Sharing information about Thailand and its development with the world.

Foreign Direct Investment

Thailand has been and continues to be one of the most successful countries in the region in attracting FDI due to its investor-friendly environment. Thailand is considered a ‘newly industrialised country’ with a GDP of $1.517 trillion at the end of 2023, making it the 9th largest economy in Asia. The Thai government currently prioritises the following industries for investment: bio-circular-green industries, electric vehicles, smart electronics, digital industries, and the creative industries.

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Essential Information on Covid-19 in Thailand

Under a Ministry of Public Health’s announcement, all hospitals, public and private, must do their best to treat COVID-19 patients (all who live within the Thai territory, irrespective of nationality) without delay until they are out of immediate danger or transferred to other hospitals based on their coverage.

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COVID-19 Impact on Thai Labor Market

Unemployment is a looming concern. According to NSO’s data, the unemployment rate has increased to 2 percent in Q2 of 2020. This is more than three times Thailand’s jobless rate for the last decade, which hovered around 0.6%. The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) estimated that 8.4 million jobs would be at risk from the COVID-19 outbreak in Q2 and Q3 of 2020, in addition to the six million farmers already impacted by drought. Thailand’s key sectors have been especially hit.

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Image: Motorbike taxi in Thailand by ibeeckmans | CC Search under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Dashboard: COVID-19 and Thai Labor Market

Some major findings from Labor Force Survey data of Thailand National Statistics Office (NSO) showed that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted on jobs.

During the Q1 and Q2 of 2020, the virus impact was accelerating around the world. With the country put under lockdown from mid-March till June 2020, the COVID-19 impact on workers showed a significant change in the Q2.

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Data Literacy Training

Thailand’s civil society representatives completed East-West Management Institute’s (EWMI) data literacy training program from February to June 2020. This training in Thailand was tailored for participants from the forestry sector to advocate for improved forest governance. They included representatives from Baan Non Toom Thaworn Community Forest, Self-organized Land Reform Network, Citizen Forest Network, Chiang Mai Community Organisation Council, Raks Thai Foundation, RECOFTC Thailand, and Western Community Radio Network.

All participants were sponsored by the Voices for Mekong Forests (V4MF) project, a five-year initiative funded by the EU. Read the full story.

Participants were very supportive of each other during the training. (This photo was taken during the first phase in February 2020.)

Pandemics / COVID-19

Thailand was the first country outside of China to have confirmed a patient with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection on 13 January 2020. On March 1, 2020, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) designated COVID-19 as a dangerous communicable disease under the Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (2015). An emergency in all areas of the Kingdom of Thailand was declared by the Thai Prime Minister on March 20, 2020, pursuant to the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in emergency situations. The emergency period was originally to last until April 30, 2020, until further announcement of relax measures.

Forest Policy and Admistration

Thailand’s forests are governed under a system of laws and policies that has evolved over the past few decades to place a greater emphasis on conservation and sustainable management. Though challenges of implementation, participation, and community usage rights persist, governance can be considered a positive factor in Thai forest health.

Forests and Forestry

In 2018, forest products accounted for roughly 118 billion Thai Baht (3.9 billion USD) in exports—or about 1.2% of all exported goods and services. That figure does not include either the value of domestic consumption of forest products or the ecosystem services forests provide.

Forest covers in the Mekong region 2000-2015

Thai economy at risk of five major threats if US tariff talks fail, warns SCB EIC

22 July 2025

Thailand’s economy could face five significant risks if it fails to negotiate a resolution with the United States regarding tariff issues by August 1.The Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Centre (SCB EIC) indicated that any delays in the negotiation process could become a turning point, ...

Thai central bank sees economy slowing in second half as tariffs hit exports

9 July 2025

Thailand’s economy is expected to slow in the second half of the year and faces heightened uncertainty, the central bank said on Wednesday, as consumer confidence hit the lowest level in more than two years. Thai exports, a key driver of the economy, were expected to ...

Environment still a top concern for Thai consumers

1 July 2025

The environment remains Thailand’s number one public concern in 2025, according to a nationwide study by Marketbuzzz in partnership with the School of Global Studies at Thammasat University.This continued prioritisation of the environment occurs despite mounting economic pressure and rising prices, which have also increased ...

 Bangkok Post Reporter

Thailand records 4.24% drop in foreign visitors

24 June 2025

Thailand’s foreign tourist arrivals from Jan 1 to June 22 fell 4.24% compared to the same period a year earlier, the Tourism and Sports Ministry said on Tuesday.There were about 16.04 million foreign visitors during the period, it said in a statement. Malaysia was the ...

 Bangkok Post Reporter

Thailand continues trade talks with US despite political turmoil

21 June 2025

The tariff negotiations between Thailand and the US will proceed despite domestic political tensions, Thai Minister of Commerce Pichai Naripthaphan said on June 20.Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes ...

Tourism goes green

24 March 2025

Tourism is not only a major driver of Thailand’s economy, but also an avenue to transform the country into a sustainable destination for locals and visitors.According to Sustainable Travel International, tourism is responsible for roughly 8% of the world’s total carbon emissions.As Thailand aims for ...

 Bangkok Post Reporter

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Event | Leveraging geospatial artificial intelligence for climate action in Asia: An Indigenous Perspective

16 August 2024

Knowledge for Development Foundation is thrilled to host a session on “Leveraging geospatial artificial intelligence for climate action in Asia: An Indigenous Perspective,” at DRAPAC24 in Taipei on Sunday, 18 August, 11 am (UTC+8).Let’s rethink how we can leverage geospatial AI technology for climate action ...

JOB OPPORTUNITY: TOR of Mangrove Conservation Assistant

12 February 2024

TERMS OF REFERENCE Mangrove Conservation Assistant Assignment:Mangrove Conservation AssistantLocation:Southern Thailand, with possible regional travelContract Type:Full-time, on site.Reports to:Foundation DirectorDuration:2 years (contingent on performance and funding continuation)Start:ImmediatelyDeadline:2 March 2024 or Until filledPosition:This position is open to Thai nationals and those eligible to work in ThailandOVERVIEWThe Knowledge for ...

TOR: Finance and Administration Manager

23 May 2023

Assignment:Finance and Administration ManagerLocation:Chiang Mai, Thailand, with possible regional travel Contract Type:Full-time, on site. Reports to:Program DirectorDuration:2 years (contingent on performance and funding continuation) Start: ImmediatelyDeadline:Until filledPosition: This position is open to Thai nationalsOVERVIEWThe Knowledge for Development Foundation (K4D) is a newly established not-for-profit organization based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. ...

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Open Development Thailand publishes a topic page on “Foreign Direct Investment in Thailand."

1 August 2024

Open Development Thailand publishes a topic page on “Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Thailand,” showing statistics of FDI. Thailand has been and continues to be one of the most successful countries in the region in attracting FDI due to its investor-friendly environment. Thailand is considered ...

Open Development Thailand publishes a dashboard on “Essential Information on COVID-19 in Thailand."

16 December 2020

Open Development Thailand (ODT) recently published a dashboard on “Essential Information on COVID-19 in Thailand,” which collects useful information on the nationwide measures, capacity of health services and medical workforces, hotline contact, educational videos, and infection cases over time. Access to the page>> ...

Open Development Thailand publishes new pages on COVID-19 Impact on Thai Labor Market and its Dashboard

12 October 2020

Open Development Thailand (ODT) recently published a new topic page on “COVID-19 Impact on Thai Labour Market,” which shows that the lockdown measure and other COVID-19 measures significantly affected jobs and workers in Q2/2020. The data dashboard will provide you insights to understand vulnerable informal ...

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