BANGKOK, May 18 (Reuters) - Thailand's economy grew by 2.8% in the first quarter of 2026 from a year earlier, official data showed on Monday, higher than the median forecast of 2.2% in a Reuters poll of analysts.
On a seasonally adjusted quarterly basis, Southeast Asia's second-largest economy expanded 0.7% in the January-March period, data from the National Economic and Social Development Council showed, beating the poll forecast of 0.1% growth.
The agency maintained its 2026 growth outlook at 1.5% to 2.5%. The Thai economy expanded 2.4% last year, and has lagged regional peers since the pandemic.
The NESDC projected that exports, a key driver of Thai growth, would grow by 9.6% this year, up from an earlier forecast of 2.0% growth.
(Reporting by Orathai Sriring, Kitiphong Thaichareon and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by John Mair and David Stanway)
