BANGKOK, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's economy expanded 3.1 percent in the first quarter of 2025 from a year earlier, driven by public investment and exports despite slowing private and government consumption, official data showed on Monday.

The country's gross domestic product (GDP) in the January-March period softened from an upwardly revised 3.3 percent growth in the previous three months, which was the strongest increase since the third quarter of 2022, according to the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).

On a quarterly basis, the GDP grew a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent in the first quarter of this year, quickening from a 0.4 percent rise in the final quarter of 2024, registering the fifth consecutive period of expansion, the NESDC said in a statement.

The Southeast Asian nation's economy is expected to grow in a range of 1.3 percent to 2.3 percent this year, down from 2.3 percent to 3.3 percent forecast earlier, said NESDC secretary-general Danucha Pichayanan.

Looking ahead, the expansion is bolstered by rising public investment, an ongoing increase in private consumption amid low unemployment and inflation rates, along with the recovery of the tourism sector and related services, Danucha told a news conference.

However, economic growth is projected to slow in the second half of the year due to a global economic and trade slowdown and the impact of trade protection measures, as well as additional downside risks from agricultural volatility, he noted.

Last year, the Thai economy grew 2.5 percent, accelerating from 2 percent in 2023 but below the government target of 2.7 percent. ■