Bolt · The Thaiger
Bank of Thailand cuts GDP forecast to 1.5%, slashes interest rate to 1% as war and trade pressures bite
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Thailand’s central bank has issued its starkest economic warning in years. The Bank of Thailand’s (BOT) Monetary Policy Report for Q1 2026 revised the country’s GDP growth forecast sharply downward to just 1.5%, well below the 2.4% recorded in 2025, as the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to cut the benchmark interest rate to a historic low of 1.00% per year to cushion a slowing economy.
Key facts
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Summary
Two forces are hitting Thailand at once, and neither is easy to resolve quickly.
The BOT said Thailand’s economy is likely to expand more slowly than previously expected, dragged down by prolonged geopolitical pressures and structural shifts in global production. GDP growth is now projected at 1.5% for 2026, before recovering to around 2.0% in 2027.