BANGKOK, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Thailand's economy is expected to grow 2.0% this year, the finance ministry said on Tuesday, maintaining its previous forecast.
Exports, a key driver of Thai growth, are also expected to rise 1.0% this year, compared with an earlier forecast of a 1.5% decline, Vinit Visessuvanapoom, head of the finance ministry's fiscal policy office, told a press conference.
Southeast Asia's second-largest economy is estimated to have expanded 2.2% in 2025, the ministry said, slowing from
2.5% in 2024.
Official 2025 gross domestic product data will be released next month by the state planning agency.
The central bank has forecast economic growth of 1.5% in 2026.
The Thai economy has been struggling with the appreciating baht, U.S. tariffs, high household debt, a border conflict with Cambodia and political uncertainty ahead of elections in early February.
The baht has gained about 1.4% against the dollar so far this year after a 9% rise in 2025, threatening the competitiveness of the export and tourism sectors.
Foreign tourist arrivals are expected to reach 35.5 million this year, the ministry said, maintaining a previous forecast.
Last year there were 32.9 million foreign arrivals, still much lower than the record of nearly 40 million visitors set in 2019, before the pandemic.
The ministry also forecast headline inflation at 0.3% this year, compared with a previous forecast of 0.5%. The central bank's target range is between 1% and 3%.
Headline consumer prices dipped 0.14% in 2025 compared to a year earlier.
The U.S. imposed a 19% tariff on imported goods from Thailand, in line with other countries in the region.
However, there are still uncertainties relating to U.S. tariffs on transshipments via Thailand from third countries.
(Reporting by Orathai Sriring, Kitiphong Thaichareon, Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by David Stanway)
