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How dependent is China on Thailand?

In 2024, Thailand sold $40.7 billion to China, 1.9% of its imports, ranking 14th among its suppliers. Its share was 2.3% in 2019 and 1.3% in 1995. In 14 products it sells more than 50% of what China buys of them (in 6, more than 75%); what China buys from Thailand in those products (dominated value) adds up to $3.7 billion, 0.17% of its imports.

Summary

Share of its imports
1.9%
Value imported
$40.7billion
Rank among its suppliers
14th
Products where it sells over 50%
14
Products where it sells over 75%
6
Dominated value
$3.7billion
Share of total imports
0.2%

Trend

Trend in shares

Thailand went from 1.3% to 1.9% of what China buys

Share (%)

  • Thailand 1.9%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearValue (USD millions)ShareRank
19951,7151.3%16
19962,0421.5%15
19972,1841.6%14
19982,4221.8%13
19992,7991.8%13
20004,2742.1%11
20014,4622%11
20025,3182%10
20038,2702.2%10
200410,8422.3%9
200512,7272.3%10
200616,7662.5%8
200720,5312.5%9
200822,3942.3%9
200922,0882.6%9
201029,5432.5%10
201136,6502.5%11
201233,9772.3%11
201333,2892.1%12
201432,2282%13
201532,0552.4%9
201631,5802.5%10
201735,4652.2%12
201835,9482.1%12
201940,0752.3%12
202041,0002.4%11
202148,2622.2%13
202247,9612.1%13
202344,2632%14
202440,6561.9%14

Products where Thailand sells more than half

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Other sugarsThailand76.6%over 75%Vietnam · 7.3%$1.1 billion
Pulp from recycled paper and other fibersThailand58.3%Malaysia · 29.9%$662 million
Frozen fruitThailand67.2%Malaysia · 21.6%$622 million
Cassava and other rootsThailand80.1%over 75%Vietnam · 17.7%$496 million
Rubber thread and cordThailand78.7%over 75%Malaysia · 19.5%$204 million
Dried fruit and nut mixesThailand62.2%Chile · 20.4%$196 million
MotorcyclesThailand54.2%Indonesia · 17%$192 million
Warships and other vesselsThailand86.1%over 75%Norway · 7.4%$71 million
Finished cattle leatherThailand56.8%Taiwan · 8.6%$50 million
Used and retreaded tiresThailand67.9%Vietnam · 11.1%$43 million
Other cereal floursThailand83.5%over 75%Hong Kong · 10%$32 million
Tapioca and starch-based substitutesThailand93.2%over 75%Hong Kong · 3.7%$7 million
Animal glands and substances for pharmaceuticalsThailand68%Brazil · 12.1%$4 million
Rubber waste and scrapThailand66.8%Côte d'Ivoire · 6%$4 million

A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.

Are there other suppliers in the world?

  • Thailand sells 10.6% of what the world exports of other sugars; next come United States (14.6%), France (8.1%) and Belgium (6.9%). The rest of the world exported 7.8 times what China buys from Thailand.
  • Thailand sells 31% of what the world exports of pulp from recycled paper and other fibers; next come Malaysia (15.8%), United States (7.6%) and Germany (4.9%). The rest of the world exported 1.9 times what China buys from Thailand.
  • Thailand sells 9% of what the world exports of frozen fruit; next come Poland (8.4%), Chile (6.8%) and Serbia (6.8%). The rest of the world exported 10.4 times what China buys from Thailand.
  • Thailand sells 17.6% of what the world exports of cassava and other roots; next come Cambodia (22.8%), Laos (13.4%) and United States (7.1%). The rest of the world exported 4.6 times what China buys from Thailand.
  • Thailand sells 55.3% of what the world exports of rubber thread and cord; next come Malaysia (22.2%), India (3.1%) and Japan (1.1%). The rest of the world exported 1 times what China buys from Thailand.
  • Thailand sells 9.4% of what the world exports of dried fruit and nut mixes; next come Turkey (17.1%), Chile (10.2%) and Germany (6.9%). The rest of the world exported 12.8 times what China buys from Thailand.
  • Thailand sells 8.3% of what the world exports of motorcycles; next come Japan (10.4%), Germany (8.3%) and India (7.3%). The rest of the world exported 122.2 times what China buys from Thailand.
  • Thailand sells 2.1% of what the world exports of warships and other vessels; next come Saudi Arabia (38.4%), Norway (7.6%) and Indonesia (6%). The rest of the world exported 107.6 times what China buys from Thailand.
  • Thailand sells 10.4% of what the world exports of finished cattle leather; next come Italy (15.3%), Singapore (8.1%) and United States (7.2%). The rest of the world exported 12 times what China buys from Thailand.
  • Thailand sells 4.3% of what the world exports of used and retreaded tires; next come Sri Lanka (15.6%), Germany (12.9%) and Japan (6.1%). The rest of the world exported 59.7 times what China buys from Thailand.

Exports from the rest of the world already have buyers; the figure shows scale, not availability.

Seen from Thailand

China is Thailand’s 2nd-largest customer, with 11.8% of its exports.

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

Methodology

The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.

Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.

The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.

Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.

The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.

Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.