Mr Mahatana (second from left) inspects housing projects under GH Bank's lending programme.

Government Housing (GH) Bank is moving forward with its housing loan programme for senior citizens, covering both elderly people who wish to buy a home and those who wish to sell their own homes, with total lending of 4 billion baht.

According to Mahatana Ampornpisit, the bank's chief executive, in preparation for Thailand's transition into an aged society, GH Bank -- as a state financial institution specialising in housing loans -- has introduced special housing loans for senior citizens, both for those wishing to purchase homes and those wanting to sell their own residences, offering particularly low interest rates.

For those wishing to purchase second-hand homes from senior citizens aged 50 and above, the interest rates are 2.10% per year for the first year, 2.40% for the second year, and the minimum retail rate (MRR) minus 2.495% for the third year, resulting in an average three-year interest rate of 2.716%, with a maximum repayment period of 40 years, making the monthly instalment relatively low. For a 1 million baht loan, the initial monthly payment starts at only 3,100 baht per month. The credit line for this project is set at 1 billion baht.

For senior citizens aged 50 and above who want to purchase a home, build a house, renovate, extend, repair, buy home-related equipment, or refinance, the interest rates are 2.10% per annum for the first year, 2.25% for the second year, and MRR minus 2.745% for the third year.

The average three-year interest rate is 2.586%, with a maximum loan term of 20 years. For a 1-million-baht loan, the monthly instalment is 6,200 baht. GH Bank has allocated 3 billion baht for this loan project.

According to GH Bank, the number of elderly people in Thailand (people aged over 60) continues to rise steadily. In 1994, Thailand had 4.01 million elderly people, accounting for 6.8% of the total population at that time. By 2024, this figure had increased to 14.03 million people, representing 20% of the country's total population.

According to 2024 data, the living arrangements of older adults can be categorised as follows: 64.5% of all older adults live with other people, 22.6% live only with their spouse, and 12.9% live alone. However, the proportion of older adults living alone in households has shown a continuous upward trend. The share of older adults living alone has increased by nearly four times, rising from 3.6% in 1994 to 12.9% in 2024.

Mr Mahatana said that GH Bank also continues to promote its green loan policy, in line with current global trends.

In 2026, the bank is offering the "Eco House" home loan project, designed for those who want to buy, build, renovate, repair, or purchase energy-saving equipment for their homes. The average interest rate for the first three years is 2.90%, with a maximum repayment period of 40 years.

For the "No. 5 Home" project, or homes certified by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand as energy-saving houses, the average three-year interest rate is 2.656%, with a maximum repayment term of 40 years.

Additionally, for solar rooftop installations the maximum loan amount per borrower is 300,000 baht, with an average three-year interest rate of 3.90% and a maximum repayment period of 10 years.