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Who does Thailand rely on?

The largest supplier of Thailand in 2024 is China, with 28% of what Thailand buys. Its share was 22.2% in 2019 and 3.3% in 1995. 549 of the 1,078 products Thailand buys for more than $1 million have a supplier selling more than 50% of what Thailand buys of that product; in 192, more than 75%. In those products, purchases from each one’s dominant supplier add up to 23.5% of what Thailand buys.

Summary

Largest supplier: China
28%
Concentration (HHI)
1,067
Products with a supplier above 50%
549
Products with a supplier above 75%
192

Concentration index (HHI): 1,067 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 9 suppliers of the same size

Trend

Trend in shares

China went from 3.3% to 28% of what Thailand buys

Share (%)

  • China 28%
  • Japan 8.9%
  • Taiwan 6.6%
  • United States 6.4%
  • United Arab Emirates 5.8%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest supplierShare
1995Japan28.9%
1996Japan26.2%
1997Japan24.7%
1998Japan23.2%
1999Japan23.8%
2000Japan24.4%
2001Japan21.9%
2002Japan23.2%
2003Japan23.7%
2004Japan23.3%
2005Japan21.7%
2006Japan19.7%
2007Japan20.6%
2008Japan18.1%
2009Japan18%
2010Japan19.9%
2011Japan17.7%
2012Japan19.4%
2013Japan16.1%
2014China17.3%
2015China21%
2016China22.2%
2017China20.2%
2018China20.6%
2019China22.2%
2020China25.8%
2021China26.5%
2022China24.9%
2023China26.2%
2024China28%

Its suppliers

  1. China$84.1 billion · 28%
  2. Japan$26.6 billion · 8.9%
  3. Taiwan$19.9 billion · 6.6%
  4. United States$19.3 billion · 6.4%
  5. United Arab Emirates$17.4 billion · 5.8%
  6. Malaysia$13.6 billion · 4.5%
  7. Vietnam$9.1 billion · 3.1%
  8. South Korea$9.1 billion · 3%
  9. Indonesia$8.6 billion · 2.9%
  10. Singapore$7.8 billion · 2.6%

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Products with a dominant supplier

Of the 1,078 products Thailand buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Cameras and broadcast equipmentChina72%Vietnam · 10.4%$7.2 billion
ComputersTaiwan54.5%China · 34.2%$7.1 billion
Other iron or steel articlesChina61.1%Japan · 14.3%$3.3 billion
CarsChina58.3%Japan · 13.1%$2.7 billion
Printed circuit boardsChina60.6%South Korea · 11.5%$2.7 billion
Other electrical devicesChina52.1%Japan · 12.6%$2.4 billion
Cables and wireChina54%United States · 9.3%$2.3 billion
Transformers and power suppliesChina65.8%Japan · 8.3%$2.3 billion
Airplanes and helicoptersFrance53.2%United States · 28.2%$2.3 billion
Diodes, transistors and solar cellsChina52.1%Japan · 17.7%$2.2 billion
Air pumps, compressors and fansChina55%Japan · 18.2%$2.2 billion
ElectricityLaos100%over 75%Malaysia · 0.01%$2.1 billion
Coated flat steelChina69.4%Japan · 12.4%$2.1 billion
SoybeansBrazil85.3%over 75%United States · 12.6%$1.8 billion
Hot-rolled flat steelJapan75.8%over 75%China · 12.4%$1.7 billion
CoalIndonesia76.1%over 75%Australia · 19.1%$1.6 billion
Alloy steel sheetJapan53%China · 30.8%$1.5 billion
Electric motors and generatorsChina57.5%Japan · 10.5%$1.4 billion
Bags, suitcases and casesChina62.4%Italy · 14.4%$1.3 billion
Soybean meal and pelletsBrazil91.7%over 75%Argentina · 4.9%$1.3 billion
Phones and telecom equipmentChina88.4%over 75%Vietnam · 3.9%$1.3 billion
Engine partsJapan51.1%Indonesia · 13.2%$1.2 billion
Parts for broadcast equipmentChina59.1%Japan · 12.2%$1 billion
Lamps and light fittingsChina96.2%over 75%Germany · 0.46%$999 million
BatteriesChina62.9%Japan · 14.8%$939 million

and 524 more

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%.

Countries that sell more than 50% of some product; the darker, the higher the value of those products.

Selling: who it relies on

Largest customer: United States
18.8%
Concentration (HHI)
680

Concentration index (HHI): 680 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 15 customers of the same size

Trend in shares

Japan went from 16.8% to 7% of what Thailand sells

Share (%)

  • United States 18.8%
  • China 11.8%
  • Japan 7%
  • Australia 4.1%
  • Singapore 4%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest customerShare
1995United States20.6%
1996United States19.9%
1997United States20.5%
1998United States22.8%
1999United States22.7%
2000United States22.4%
2001United States20%
2002United States20.1%
2003United States17.8%
2004United States16.7%
2005United States16.5%
2006United States15.6%
2007United States13.5%
2008United States11.9%
2009China12.7%
2010China13.5%
2011China14.1%
2012China13.7%
2013China13.5%
2014China13%
2015China13.2%
2016China12.9%
2017China13.3%
2018China12.8%
2019China14.3%
2020China15.3%
2021United States16.1%
2022United States17.6%
2023United States17.5%
2024United States18.8%

266 of the 972 products Thailand sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what Thailand sells of that product; in 102, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 11.5% of what Thailand sells.

ProductCustomerShareSecondValue
Cameras and broadcast equipmentUnited States51.9%Singapore · 6%$15.8 billion
Diodes, transistors and solar cellsUnited States59.9%China · 8.6%$5.8 billion
Other fresh fruit (berries, kiwi)China92.5%over 75%Indonesia · 2.3%$4.7 billion
Synthetic rubberChina85.5%over 75%India · 2.8%$2.8 billion
Other electrical devicesUnited States71.8%Canada · 3.8%$2.4 billion
StarchesChina52.7%Indonesia · 9.2%$1.7 billion
Sawn woodChina94.7%over 75%Vietnam · 2.7%$1.3 billion
Other sugarsChina91.2%over 75%United States · 3.8%$1.2 billion
Copper scrapChina59.6%Japan · 25%$1.1 billion
Polycarboxylic acidsIndia55.5%Japan · 13.3%$917 million
Cyclic hydrocarbonsChina55.5%India · 19.1%$863 million
Aluminum scrapChina68.2%South Korea · 24%$837 million
Palm oilIndia89.5%over 75%Myanmar · 7%$827 million
FurnitureUnited States80.4%over 75%Japan · 5.2%$798 million
Avocados, mangoes, pineapples and datesChina63%South Korea · 13%$797 million

and 251 more

Concentration compared

The closest countries in the concentration ranking (HHI, highest first).

RankCountryHHI
125Zambia1,070
126Maldives1,069
127Thailand1,067
128Philippines1,066
129Algeria1,058
130Nicaragua1,053

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.