Thailand Upgrades 2025 GDP Forecast to 2.4%

Thailand’s economy is expected to grow 2.4% this year, higher than a previous forecast of 2.2%, following a series of government stimulus measures and better-than-expected exports, the finance ministry said on Thursday. Exports, a key driver of Thai growth, are now projected to rise 10% this year, up from an earlier forecast of 5.5%, said Vinit Visessuvanapoom, head of the Finance Ministry’s Fiscal Policy Office, at a press conference, according to Reuters. Foreign tourist arrivals are expected to reach 33.5 million this year, down from a forecast of 34.5 million made in July. However, gross domestic product growth is expected to slow to 2.0% next year, with exports forecast to dip 1.5%. Meanwhile, tourist arrivals are projected to rebound to 35.5 million in 2026, though still below the pre-pandemic record of nearly 40 million visitors in 2019. Last year, Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew 2.5%, lagging its regional peers.