Safety
Thailand Announces National Disaster Insurance Scheme for 30 Million Households
The Thai Ministry of Finance is developing an automatic disaster insurance program to cover 30 million homes, aiming to shift financial risk away from the state budget.
According to Khaosod Online, the Thai Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Insurance Commission (OIC) are finalizing a new national disaster insurance scheme. Following a cabinet resolution, the government plans to provide automatic insurance coverage for approximately 30 million residential properties across the country.
Lavaron Sangsnit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, stated that the initiative aims to replace the traditional post-disaster compensation model with a structured insurance system. By transferring risk from the state to the insurance sector, the government intends to manage public funds more efficiently, particularly regarding the central budget, which is currently used to cover unpredictable disaster relief costs.
For residents and property owners, this program is designed to be seamless; no registration or individual action is required to receive coverage. The government will manage the policy on behalf of all households.
While the government has allocated a budget of 15 billion baht to initiate the project, several details remain to be confirmed. The Ministry of Finance and the OIC are currently in discussions to finalize the operational framework, with a target to launch the program before the end of 2026. Further announcements regarding specific coverage limits, the scope of 'disaster' definitions, and the long-term sustainability of the insurance pool are expected as the implementation phase progresses.