Thai exports grow 24.0% in September, beating forecasts
Imports climbed by a record 50.4%, while Thailand recorded a September trade deficit of US$5.86 billion.
Thailand’s customs-cleared exports increased 24.0% year on year in September, exceeding the 17.85% growth forecast in a Reuters poll, the commerce ministry said on 26 October. It was the 27th successive month of export growth.
The ministry attributed the increase mainly to electronics, supported by worldwide demand for artificial intelligence products. Higher shipments of agricultural commodities and food also contributed.
Export growth eased from 24.3% in the preceding month. For January-September, exports were 19.6% higher than a year earlier.
The ministry said exports may grow 19% in 2026, compared with its forecast of 15% a month earlier. Nantapong Chiralerspong, head of the Commerce Ministry’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office, told a briefing that exports were expected to increase by 2% to 4% in 2027.
Shipments to the United States, Thailand’s biggest export market, rose 50.1% year on year in September. Exports to China increased 18.4%, according to the ministry.
September imports surged by a record 50.4%, outpacing the Reuters poll’s forecast of 31.25%. The monthly trade deficit reached US$5.86 billion, against an expected shortfall of US$1.83 billion.
