Thailand’s NESDC to Revise GDP Calculation Method
The National Economic and Social Development Council is updating its GDP calculation formula to include previously uncounted electronics manufacturing sectors worth 800 billion baht.
On October 27, 2026, Danucha Pichayanan, Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), announced that the agency is refining its GDP calculation methodology. This decision follows the discovery that 4–5 groups of electronics manufacturing facilities, valued at approximately 800 billion baht, were not captured in the existing industrial production index.
Mr. Danucha clarified that this revision is not a government-mandated effort to artificially inflate economic figures. Instead, it aims to ensure that national data accurately reflects the current economic landscape. The discrepancy between positive economic indicators and stagnant GDP growth has been a subject of discussion since 2024, with international bodies like the World Bank and the IMF noting that Thailand’s Manufacturing Production Index (MPI) may no longer fully capture the country's rapidly evolving industrial structure.
For residents and business owners, this adjustment is significant as it provides a more precise picture of Thailand's economic health, which serves as the foundation for future government policy and planning. While the NESDC is working to integrate these missing figures, it remains to be confirmed exactly how the revised methodology will impact the final GDP growth percentages for the current and previous fiscal years. The government maintains that the goal is to improve data accuracy for more effective economic policy formulation.
