Millions-strong Myanmar diaspora fuels Thai market from craft beer to credit

[BANGKOK] Thailand’s Myanmar diaspora – estimated at some 4.1 million – is no longer just a source of low-cost labour but also emerging as a sizeable consumer market, drawing growing interest from retailers, telcos, remittance firms, property players and lenders. 

A recent report by market consultancy Happio Co showed that Myanmar nationals in Thailand – comprising 2.8 million documented migrants and 1.3 million undocumented migrants – spend about 221 billion baht (S$8.7 billion) in the kingdom each year, while sending another 119 billion baht back home. 

Happio, which advises Thai companies on selling their brands in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, said Thailand’s fast-growing Myanmar market has moved from the fringes into the mainstream as the diaspora grows and diversifies.