BANGKOK, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Thailand has advanced four spots to rank 26th out of 70 economies in the 2026 World Competitiveness Ranking conducted by the Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development, driven by solid improvements in business efficiency and infrastructure.
According to the Thailand Management Association (TMA), the Southeast Asian country's net score dipped slightly from 71.32 to 71.11, moving alongside a broader global contraction where scores dropped in 44 economies.
Among the nation's four pillars, business efficiency rose three spots to 21st, noticeably due to surges in part-time employment and high-skilled profession remuneration, while infrastructure gained two spots to 45th.
Government efficiency held steady at 32nd. However, economic performance slipped two places to 10th, dragged down by a sharp deceleration in commercial services export growth, even as it stayed in the global top 10 for a third year.
The 2026 report introduced 11 updated indicators, eight of them refocused on artificial intelligence (AI), which brought Thailand's structural issues into focus.
Private sector executives surveyed expressed diminishing confidence in business legislation, technological infrastructure, and corporate adaptability. Core structural weaknesses also persist in labor productivity, language skills, and the kingdom's overall readiness to deploy AI to boost economic output.
Looking ahead, the TMA Center for Competitiveness warned that Thailand faces severe geopolitical headwinds, particularly from prolonged Middle East conflicts that are driving up supply chain costs and restricting material flows.
To secure long-term competitiveness, the TMA urges immediate structural adjustments, including targeted measures to mitigate the global energy crisis, aggressive campaigns to attract high-tech foreign direct investment, and rapid integration of AI technologies to bridge the national labor skills gap. ■
