Thailand Trade Trends Sep 2026
According to data released by Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, the country's total international trade expanded by 36.9 per cent year-on-year to USD 82.7 billion in September 2026. This performance marks the 27th consecutive month of export expansion.
During the month of September 2026, exports climbed 24 per cent year-on-year to USD 38.4 billion, while imports picked up 50.4 per cent to USD 44.3 billion, yielding a trade deficit of USD 6 billion.
Considering the first nine months of 2026, Thailand's total trade showed an expansion of 28.6 per cent year-on-year to USD 653 billion. During this period, exports rose by 19.6 per cent and imports increased by 37.8 per cent, resulting in a cumulative trade deficit of USD 43 billion.
Key drivers of growth continued to be electronics shipments, bolstered by rising global demand for AI technology and data centers. The country’s overall industrial product exports increased by 25.4 per cent during September 2026. The strongest expansion was registered in the export of computer equipment (59.4 per cent), telephones and components (117.5 per cent), video recording and parts thereof (1,302.6 per cent), and circuit boards (45.9 per cent). Agricultural and agro-industrial exports expanded by 2.5 per cent, marking their second consecutive month of growth, with high-potential products like fresh, chilled, frozen and dried fruits (34.8 per cent) and rubber (29.8 per cent) showing robust gains.
Exports to primary trade destinations continued to show solid expansion, including the United States (50.1 per cent), the European Union (35 per cent), and ASEAN (27 per cent).
In its latest outlook, the International Monetary Fund estimated Thailand’s GDP growth rate to be 2.1 per cent in 2026.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a political and economic union of ten member states, has a population of 667 million and a territory of 4.5 million km². It is currently the third-largest economy in Asia-Pacific and the fifth-largest globally. The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) has a combined GDP of USD 4.2 trillion, according to estimates for 2025.