Index Commentary

Thailand rises in the Index by four places to rank 63. An improvement in energy security is driven by a decrease in the energy consumption growth rate and even though absolute oil reserve stocks decrease slightly, they do so less than in other countries. A slight increase in emissions intensity per capita combined with a decreased quality of air and water results in Thailand underperforming in mitigating its environmental footprint compared to peer countries with similar levels of energy intensity per capita. Performance in social equity remains stable. Concerning the contextual performance, a decrease is noted in political and societal strength with the weakest indicators being political stability and health. Thailand’s strong economic position which relies on very low costs of living as proportion of household consumption expenditure, further increased due to improved macroeconomic stability.