Thailand growth forecast lifted to 2.1 per cent for 2026
Only Myanmar and Brunei have lower growth projections in Southeast Asia, while Vietnam leads the region at 8.4 per cent.
The International Monetary Fund now forecasts 2.1 per cent economic growth for Thailand in 2026, up from its April estimate of 1.5 per cent. Despite the revision, Thailand ranks above just Myanmar and Brunei in the fund’s regional projections.
The latest estimates come from the October 2026 World Economic Outlook, presented during the IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Bangkok. An earlier IMF assessment, the Article IV Consultation published in February, had put Thailand’s growth at 1.6 per cent.
For 2026, the fund puts Vietnam’s growth at 8.4 per cent, ahead of Malaysia’s 5.2 per cent and Indonesia’s 5.1 per cent. Singapore’s forecast is 5 per cent; Laos, 4.5 per cent; Timor-Leste, 4 per cent; the Philippines, 3.4 per cent; and Cambodia, 3 per cent. The estimates for Myanmar and Brunei are 2 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively.
The fund sees no change in Thailand’s growth rate for 2027, projecting another 2.1 per cent. Its forecasts for that year are 6.7 per cent for Vietnam, 5.8 per cent for the Philippines, 5.1 per cent for Indonesia and 4.7 per cent for Cambodia. Malaysia is projected at 4.3 per cent, with Laos at 4 per cent and Timor-Leste at 3.8 per cent.
