{
  "id": 1573304,
  "title": "Thailand's second-quarter GDP grows 1.9pc year-on-year",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/thailands-second-quarter-gdp-grows-1-9pc-year-on-year",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-17T22:00:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/business/economy/2026/08/1513356/thailands-second-quarter-gdp-grows-19pc-year-year"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bangkok witnessed Thailand's economy expanding by 1.9 percent in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the previous year, according to official data released on Wednesday. This growth figure surpassed the consensus forecast of 1.7 percent from a Reuters poll of economists. However, on a seasonally adjusted quarterly basis, the Southeast Asian nation's second-largest economy experienced a contraction of 0.2 percent in the April-June period, which was less severe than the poll's estimated 0.6 percent decline. In the first quarter of 2026, Thailand's economy expanded by 2.8 percent year-on-year, while the revised growth rate for the second quarter was 0.6 percent. The National Economic and Social Development Council forecasts the economy to grow between 2.0 and 2.5 percent for the entire year, contrasting with an earlier prediction of growth between 1.5 and 2.5 percent. Thailand's economy has trailed behind regional counterparts since the Covid-19 pandemic, as high household debt has dampened consumption. The agency anticipates that exports, a critical growth engine, will rise by 15.1 percent this year, up from the previous forecast of a 9.6 percent increase. In the April-June quarter, the economy faced challenges from weak consumption resulting from high household debt and escalating living costs. The central bank maintained its key interest rate at one percent in June. The Bank of Thailand's Governor Vitai Ratanakorn stated that there was no immediate need to raise interest rates at the upcoming monetary policy review on August 26.",
  "summary": "Your browser does not support the audio element.",
  "key_points": [
    "Thailand's Q2 GDP grew 1.9% year-on-year, beating 1.7% forecast",
    "Economy contracted 0.2% seasonally adjusted QoQ, less than 0.6% predicted",
    "2026 growth forecasted 2.0-2.5%, down from 1.5-2.5% earlier estimate"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}