FRIDAY, April 26, 2024
nationthailand

Less business investment has resulted in higher cost of living

Less business investment has resulted in higher cost of living

Re: “Household debt”, National, August 18.

Preliminary analysis of the graphic on household debt has given rise to some points.
Thailand’s household debts have been increasing over the past decade, up from an average of Bt116,681 in 2007 to Bt178,994 in 2017. 
It found that in the past decade, household debt grew 5.3 per cent per annum, while monthly household income and expenditure grew at a similar rate of 4.4 and 4.8 per cent per annum, respectively. It showed monthly household income’s growth was incapable of catching up with household debt’s growth. 
In addition, it also found that household debt’s structure of money borrowed in the past decade had already changed. That is to say, the percentage of the average debt per household in 2007 to daily consumption was 33.3 per cent and buying or leasing a house and/or land was 31.3 per cent. Meanwhile, money borrowed spent on farming was at 15.2 per cent and business investment was at 14.4 per cent.
In 2017, the percentage of the average debt per household to daily consumption was 39 per cent and buying or leasing a house and/or land was 36.3 per cent, while money borrowed spent on farming was 14 per cent and business investment was 8.5 per cent.
It seems non-farming careers are growing by leaps and bounds, and farming careers are significantly diminishing, yet why have business loans in the past decade dropped dramatically from 14.4 per cent in 2007 to 8.5 per cent in 2017, and loans for farming remained at 14 to 15 per cent?
Meanwhile, the cost of living has been rising. Households have to incur more their debts for their daily needs and housing. How will they cope with the higher debt burden and how can this burden be relieved?
Sutipunt Bongsununt

nationthailand