Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand has climbed four places to 26th out of 70 economies assessed in the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Ranking 2026. However, experts believe the country still faces many structural challenges, while Vietnam's debut at 27th place is adding further pressure on Thailand to accelerate reforms.
The new ranking reflects improvements in business efficiency and infrastructure, according to the Thai Management Association (TMA). Specifically, business efficiency rose by three places and infrastructure by two places, contributing to Thailand's overall improvement. Meanwhile, government efficiency remained unchanged, while economic performance fell by two places compared to the previous year.
The IMD ranking is based on four groups of criteria: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure, with a total of 264 indicators.
Thailand’s economic performance fell from eighth to 10th place, weighed down by weaker rankings in international trade and employment.
The country’s ranking for international trade dropped five places to ninth, while employment slipped from third to fourth. However, international investment rose six places to 24th, while the price index improved to 12th.
In terms of government efficiency, Thailand maintained its 32nd position. Several indicators, including tax policy, public finance, the institutional framework and the social framework, improved. However, the TMA noted that public sector governance remains a weakness, with Thailand ranking only 57th in the rule of law, 52nd in corruption control and 51st in government transparency.
Thailand's business efficiency improved from 24th to 21st place, supported by gains in the labour market, finance, productivity and corporate governance. However, the TMA warned that labour productivity remains one of the biggest risks to the country's long-term competitiveness.
Within ASEAN, Thailand ranks third behind Singapore and Malaysia. Singapore continues to lead the global competitiveness rankings, while Malaysia ranks 15th. Vietnam, included in the ranking for the first time, placed 27th globally, just one position behind Thailand. Notably, Vietnam ranked two places higher than Thailand in government efficiency and six places higher in business efficiency. The Philippines and Indonesia ranked 47th and 48th, respectively./.
