Pull Factors of Immigration in Thailand: GDP, Economic Disparity, Poverty, Unemployment, and FDI

Hiroaki Sakurai and Kenji Nozaki

Bulletin of Applied Economics, 2025, vol. 12, issue 2, 175-182

Abstract: This study examined the pull factors of immigrants in Thailand by exploring the relationship between immigration and macroeconomic statistics, including per capita gross domestic product (GDP), the Gini coefficient, the unemployment rate, the poverty rate, and foreign direct investment (FDI) from 2009 to 2021. Since Thailand attracts low-skilled immigrants from surrounding countries such as Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, as well as highly skilled immigrants from developed nations, the direction of inflow and outflow across the border is more complicated compared with countries that are more clearly categorized as either low-income or high-income. As for estimation outcomes, first, the relationship linking the number of migrants to economic disparities, the poverty ratio, and the unemployment rate declines when economic disparities rise; this is partially because many low-skilled laborers are engaged in the workforce. Second, the relationship between remittances per migrant and economic disparities, per capita GDP, and FDI increases under a diminished Gini coefficient while the poverty ratio and unemployment rise; this is partially because remittances include those sent to developed nations. In general, the pull factors of immigrants in Thailand are stronger among immigrants from developed countries, although these factors are reflected among immigrants from both developed and developing states.

Keywords: Immigration; Pull factor; Thailand. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J61 O53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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