Thailand's 'Thai Help Thai Plus' Aids 39 Million, Spurs 7.8 Billion Baht Spending

The Thai government’s “Thai Help Thai Plus” programme, funded with a budget of over 175 billion baht and run over four months, was designed to ease household cost‑of‑living pressures from rising energy prices and to stimulate the grassroots economy.

Three sub‑projects were implemented. The first two added 700 baht to the existing welfare card, giving 1,000 baht per person per month to about 13.18 million card‑holders for four months, covering food, transport, utilities and disability allowances. The third sub‑project, “Thai Help Thai Plus (60/40)”, extended assistance to an additional 26.04 million people. As of 19 July 2024, the scheme had reached more than 39 million Thais and generated about 78.1 billion baht of economic turnover, of which 42 % (33.2 billion baht) came from public contributions and 58 % (44.9 billion baht) from the state. Over 1.09 million small retailers, mostly independent shops and food‑beverage outlets, were registered to accept the funds.

Spending was concentrated in the first week of each month, with up to 12 million users daily and average daily purchases of 2.2‑2.8 billion baht, later tapering to 0.5‑2 billion baht. The bulk of expenditures (63 %) occurred in 22 major provinces, led by Bangkok, Chonburi, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi, while the remaining 37 % spread across 55 other provinces.