Thailand's customs-based exports rose for a fifth straight month in December, up 4.7% from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday.
The reading compared with a forecast for a 6.0% year-on-year increase for December in a Reuters poll, and followed November's 4.9% rise.
In December, imports fell 3.1% year-on-year, creating a trade surplus of $0.97 billion.
In December, shipments to the United States rose 0.3% from a year earlier and those to Japan dropped 3.7%, while exports to China increased 2%.
Full-year 2023 imports dropped 3.8% annually, while exports dropped 1%, creating a trade deficit of $5.2 billion.
The ministry set a target for exports to grow 1.99% this year.
Rice export volumes increased 4.1% in December from a year earlier, and rose for the whole of 2023 by 13.7% to 8.76 million metric tonnes.