Nation Thailand
Thailand rises to 26th in IMD competitiveness ranking, but Vietnam closes gap
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 outlet. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
Thailand has climbed four places to 26th out of 70 economies in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking 2026, but the improvement masks deeper structural weaknesses in productivity, education, technology and governance, while Vietnam’s debut at 27th place puts fresh pressure on Thailand to accelerate reforms.
Key facts
- The Thailand Management Association, or TMA, through its Centre for Competitiveness, said the latest ranking by the World Competitiveness Center under Switzerland’s International Institute for Management Development reflected an
- Switzerland, which ranked first in 2025, fell to third place.
- The top 10 economies saw little change, although the United States moved up from 13th to 10th, while Qatar dropped from ninth to 11th
- IMD also included Vietnam in the ranking for the first time, raising the number of assessed economies to 70.
Summary
The Thailand Management Association, or TMA, through its Centre for Competitiveness, said the latest ranking by the World Competitiveness Center under Switzerland’s International Institute for Management Development reflected an improvement in Thailand’s business sector and infrastructure.
However, the association warned that the country still faces major long-term challenges, particularly in productivity, education, technology readiness, artificial intelligence capability and the effectiveness of public-sector governance.