Thai December factory output rises 2.52% y/y, beats forecast
A view inside a weaving factor in Bangkok, Thailand September 1, 2021. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun
BANGKOK, Jan 29 : Thailand's manufacturing production index rose 2.52 per cent in December from a year earlier, the industry ministry said on Thursday, stronger than analysts' forecasts.
The December figure compared with a year-on-year decline of 0.9 per cent forecast in a Reuters poll, and followed a revised drop of 3.85 per cent in November.
Manufacturing in December was boosted by auto production, industrial export growth and government measures, the ministry said.
Car production in Thailand, a regional automaking centre, rose 8.6 per cent in December from a year earlier, according to the Federation of Thai Industries.
The index dropped 0.78 per cent for the whole of 2025.
The strong baht pushed up export prices and eroded Thailand's competitiveness, the ministry said in a statement.
The currency has gained about 1 per cent against the dollar so far this year, after a 9 per cent rise in 2025.
