The Thai Chamber of Commerce confidence index in July 2026 hit its lowest point in 35 months, as businesses struggle with rising costs and foreign products flooding the market, contrary to consumer confidence which continues to recover, benefiting from the “Thai Help Thai Plus” program.
Mr. Thanawat Polwichai, President and Advisor of the Economic and Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, revealed survey results on the Thai Chamber of Commerce confidence index and consumer confidence index for July 2026, stating that the Chamber of Commerce confidence index, surveyed among businesses and Chamber members in July 2026, was at its lowest in 35 months. This is due to low purchasing power across regions, caused by high household debt, high unemployment, and limited income resulting from poor domestic economic conditions. Tourism remains lackluster, and although prices of key commodities like rice, animal feed corn, rubber, and palm oil have risen, it is not harvest season, so farmers lack produce to sell, preventing income growth and keeping purchasing power low.
Additionally, businesses have been affected by competition from foreign products, leading to reduced sales and profits. Rising costs such as fuel and electricity prices have further strained businesses, causing liquidity shortages. Access to funding remains difficult, indicating persistent business challenges without clear signs of recovery. When asked about the outlook for the next six months, most expect conditions to worsen, except the service sector, which anticipates improvement with the tourist season approaching.
“Business problems remain cyclical, and the sector wants government support to manage costs and access low-interest loans. For the first time, businesses are urging the government to regulate foreign capital and imports to prevent market dumping.”
Mr. Thanawat further commented on the consumer confidence index, noting that in July 2026, all indicators improved for the second consecutive month over five months, driven by the Thai Help Thai Plus (60/40) policy, which added 1,000 baht monthly to consumers’ pockets, effectively reducing living costs. Importantly, global fuel prices fell after the US and Iran avoided intense conflict, and prices of key agricultural products improved compared to the previous year.
“When consumers feel they have more money and purchasing power, confidence improves. This has led all consumer confidence indicators to rise for two straight months, including current and future consumer confidence, economic situation confidence, and notably, political stability at home has gradually boosted spending.”
However, it is important to closely watch whether consumer confidence will continue to rise after the Thai Help Thai Plus (60/40) program ends in late September. It is expected the government will promote energy transition initiatives and accelerate budget disbursement for the fiscal year ending September 2026 and the new fiscal year starting October 2026. Tourism is also expected to gradually improve. Therefore, the center maintains its forecast that consumer confidence will continue to rise, peaking in Q4 2026, supporting Thai economic growth of 2.0-2.5% this year.
In July 2026, the Thai Chamber of Commerce confidence index stood at 41.5, slightly up from 41.4 in June 2026. Meanwhile, the consumer confidence index rose to 51.8 from 50.7; current consumer confidence increased to 35.5 from 34.5; future consumer confidence climbed to 59.9 from 58.7. Consequently, the overall economic confidence index improved to 45.3 from 44.1; job opportunity confidence rose to 49.8 from 48.7; and future income confidence reached 60.5 from 59.3.
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