Thailand plans to lift total investment to about 30% of gross domestic product within four years, with private businesses expected to supply most of the increase, the Bangkok Post reported Thursday.
Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas outlined the goal Wednesday when the government introduced its Transformation Plan, according to the newspaper. Thailand currently invests about 23% of GDP, split between roughly 17% from the private sector and 6% from the state. The plan projects private investment at 22% to 23% of GDP and public investment at 7% to 8%.
The projected shift puts most of the increase on businesses. Ekniti said high public debt and the government's fiscal position constrain the scope for more public investment, the report said. The plan frames the investment push as part of an effort to move Thailand toward high-income-country status.
Private investment grew 9% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2025, followed by 10% in the first quarter of 2026 and 11% to 12% in the second quarter, Ekniti said, according to the Bangkok Post. The newspaper characterized the sequence as the strongest in a decade.
Ekniti described growth as uneven, with gains concentrated in one part of the economy and less progress reaching the wider public. He said state policy would seek to draw private capital into emerging industries, with public-private partnerships and infrastructure funds among the channels.
The target follows an earlier call to accelerate infrastructure investment from a Tata Steel Thailand executive, who cited delays on Thai-Chinese high-speed rail projects and urged faster investment to support domestic consumption and the steel industry.
The Bangkok Post also reported that an excise tax increase on fully built-up imported vehicles is scheduled for Jan. 1, 2027, raising the rate to 35%. The report said the measure is intended to encourage investment in Thailand's domestic auto industry.
