BANGKOK, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's business sentiment saw a slight decline in January, mainly driven by the non-manufacturing sector as government stimulus measures expired at the end of last year, data from the central bank showed on Monday.

According to the Bank of Thailand, the Southeast Asian country's business sentiment index (BSI) dropped to 49.1 last month, from 49.8 recorded in December 2025, as confidence in the non-manufacturing sector weakened across all components.

However, sentiment in the manufacturing sector improved, led by the steel industries, which benefited from increased demand in various sectors, including electronics, electrical appliances and industrial-estate construction, the central bank said in a statement.

The three-month expected BSI came in at 52.3 in the January survey, down from 54.4 a month earlier, as most components decreased, in line with the manufacturing index, which fell in nearly all industries, led by plastics and electronics.

Meanwhile, the non-manufacturing index weakened across all sectors due to uncertainty surrounding the formation of a new government, resulting in a significant fall in total order books and the number of services.

The reading was based on a survey of 681 respondents from large and medium-sized firms. ■