View from this perspective, the fact that interest rates are low in Thailand reflect the sharp fall in investment demand since the 1997 crisis against the backdrop of a relatively stable saving behaviour and limited opportunities for saving diversification abroad. Figure 17 shows that gross domestic investment as a ratio of GDP has fallen sharply from over 40 percent before 1997 to around 25 percent in recent years. By comparison, gross national savings has declined only modestly as a share of GDP over the same period. This contrasting experience between investment and saving is one of the key factors behind low real interest rates. As the pool of good projects has shrunk, demand for funds has been declining. With saving behaviour remaining relatively stable, the resulting plentiful supply of funds has pushed interest rates down, as investors compete for a smaller number of good projects.