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Demographics of Thailand

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Demographics of Thailand
Population66,052,615 (December 2023)
Growth rateDecrease -0.14 (2022 est.)
Birth rate7.6 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate9.0 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy77.66 years
 • male74.65 years
 • female80.83 years
Fertility rate1.0 children per woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate6.47 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Age structure
0–14 years16.87%
15–64 years71.20%
65 and over11.93%
Sex ratio
Total0.95 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth1.05 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityThai

The demographics of Thailand paint a statistical portrait of the national population. Demography includes such measures as population density and distribution, ethnicity, educational levels, public health metrics, fertility, economic status, religious affiliation, and other characteristics of the populace.

Population size and structure

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Thailand's population (1951–2015).

Population

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The population of Thailand is approximately 69.7 million people, with an annual growth rate of about 0.3 percent. In addition to Thais, it includes ethnic Chinese, Malay, Lao, Burmese, Cambodians, and Indians, among others. The 2010 decennial census revealed a population of 65,981,600 (up from 60,916,441 in 2000). Post-census adjustments are being made to lower reporting errors.

Thailand's population is mostly rural. It is concentrated in the rice growing areas of the central, northeastern, and northern regions. Its urban population—principally in greater Bangkok—was 45.7 percent of the total population in 2010 according to National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB). Accurate statistics are difficult to arrive at, as millions of Thai migrate from rural areas to cities, then return to their place of origin to help with seasonal field work. Officially they have rural residency, but spend most of the year in urban areas.[citation needed]

Thailand's successful government-sponsored family planning program has resulted in a decline in population growth from 3.1 percent in 1960 to around 0.4 percent in 2015.[1] The World Bank forecasts a contraction of the working-age population of about 10 percent between 2010 and 2040.[2]: 4, 6  In 1970, an average of 5.7 people lived in a Thai household. At the time of the 2010 census, the figure was down to 3.2. Even though Thailand has one of the better social security systems in Asia, the increasing population of elderly people is a challenge for the country.[2][3]

Life expectancy has risen, a reflection of Thailand's efforts to implement effective public health policies. The Thai AIDS epidemic had a major impact on the Thai population. In 2022, over 500,000 Thai were HIV or AIDS positive, approximately 1.1% of adult men and 0.9% of adult women. Every year, 30,000–50,000 Thai die from HIV or AIDS-related illnesses. Ninety percent of them are ages 20–24, the youngest range of the workforce. An aggressive public education campaign begun in the early-1990s reduced the number of new HIV infections from 150,000 to under 10,000 annually.[4] The leading cause of death among the age cohort under 15 years of age: drowning. A study by the Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Centre of Ramathibodi Hospital revealed that more than 1,400 youths under 15 years old died from drowning each year, or an average four deaths a day, becoming the top cause of deaths of children, even exceeding that of motorbike deaths. Thailand's Disease Control Department estimates that only 23 percent of Thai children under 15 can swim.[5] The Public Health Ministry said that from 2006 to 2015, 10,923 children drowned. Of the 8.3 million children aged 5–14 nationwide, only two million can swim, according to the Public Health Ministry.[6]

The United Nations classifies Thailand as an "aging society" (one-tenth of the population above 60), on track to become an "aged society" (one-fifth of the population above 60) by 2025. The Fiscal Policy Office projects that the number of Thais aged 60-plus will increase from 14 percent in 2016 to 17.5 percent in 2020, 21.2 percent in 2025, and 25.2 percent in 2030.[7] As of 2016 it is estimated that there are 94,000 employees aged 60 years or more in the workforce.[8]

Age structure

[edit]
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2012) (Unrevised data.)[9]
Age group Male Female Total %
Total 33 328 645 34 583 075 67 911 720 100
0–4 2 041 071 1 938 793 3 979 864 5.86
5–9 2 353 198 2 270 890 4 624 088 6.81
10–14 2 438 774 2 327 414 4 766 188 7.02
15–19 2 593 629 2 473 402 5 067 031 7.46
20–24 2 673 846 2 563 359 5 237 205 7.71
25–29 2 673 201 2 588 947 5 262 148 7.75
30–34 2 683 015 2 637 945 5 320 960 7.84
35–39 2 673 404 2 759 416 5 432 820 8.00
40–44 2 672 891 2 870 531 5 543 422 8.16
45–49 2 574 423 2 769 676 5 344 099 7.87
50–54 2 315 177 2 503 566 4 818 743 7.10
55–59 1 854 719 2 052 030 3 906 749 5.75
60–64 1 347 251 1 534 691 2 881 942 4.24
65–69 963 728 1 154 984 2 118 712 3.12
70–74 695 434 908 033 1 603 467 2.36
75–79 451 737 659 684 1 111 421 1.64
80+ 323 147 569 714 892 861 1.31
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 6 833 043 6 537 097 13 370 140 19.69
15–64 24 061 556 24 753 563 48 815 119 71.88
65+ 2 434 046 3 292 415 5 726 461 8.43
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020) (Data refer to national projections.): [10]
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 32 128 245 34 406 439 66 534 684 100
0–4 1 820 722 1 738 061 3 558 783 5.35
5–9 1 928 856 1 842 729 3 771 584 5.67
10–14 1 994 908 1 899 797 3 894 705 5.85
15–19 2 173 180 2 087 943 4 261 123 6.40
20–24 2 318 425 2 248 622 4 567 047 6.86
25–29 2 328 514 2 291 449 4 619 964 6.94
30–34 2 195 078 2 192 481 4 387 559 6.59
35–39 2 285 522 2 332 154 4 617 676 6.94
40–44 2 519 395 2 633 740 5 153 134 7.75
45–49 2 556 501 2 723 677 5 280 178 7.94
50–54 2 605 281 2 844 482 5 449 763 8.19
55–59 2 320 628 2 612 319 4 932 947 7.41
60–64 1 879 079 2 222 128 4 101 207 6.16
65–69 1 397 242 1 777 088 3 174 330 4.77
70–74 855 143 1 207 640 2 062 783 3.10
75–79 508 729 825 715 1 334 444 2.01
80–84 269 850 508 932 778 781 1.17
85–89 126 009 284 038 410 047 0.62
90–94 37 824 103 801 141 625 0.21
95–99 6 640 25 425 32 066 0.05
100+ 719 4 219 4 938 0.01
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 5 744 486 5 480 587 11 225 073 16.87
15–64 23 181 603 24 188 994 47 370 597 71.20
65+ 3 202 156 4 736 858 7 939 014 11.93

Vital statistics

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Registered births and deaths

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Although the UN classifies the birth and death registration of the National Statistics Office as incomplete the figures below clearly show the decreasing fertility in Thailand since the end of the 1950s. As of 2021 natural growth in Thailand is negative, which means that the number of deaths exceeds the number of births.

Year Population[11] Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Total Fertility Rate Source
1957 24,148,000 777,436 218,124 559,294 32.2 9.0 23.2
1958 24,873,000 970,155 208,866 761,289 39.0 8.4 30.6
1959 25,619,000 801,380 206,129 595,254 31.3 8.0 23.3
1960 26,388,000 915,538 221,853 693,685 34.7 8.4 26.3
1961 813,805 210,709 603,096
1962 973,634 221,157 752,477
1963 1,020,051 233,192 786,859
1964 1,119,715 231,095 888,620
1965 1,117,698 216,830 900,868
1966 1,085,594 236,243 849,351
1967 1,116,424 230,622 855,802
1968 1,200,131 232,116 968,015
1969 1,133,526 243,444 890,082
1970 39,100,000 1,145,293 223,899 921,394
1971 39,760,000 1,221,228 227,990 992,238
1972 40,420,000 1,189,950 248,676 941,274
1973 41,080,000 1,167,272 293,151 874,121
1974 41,740,000 1,185,869 246,459 939,410
1975 42,400,000 1,132,416 234,550 897,966
1976 43,213,706 1,166,292 237,062 929,230 27.0 5.5 21.5 4.15
1977 44,272,693 1,079,331 236,854 842,477 24.3 5.3 19.0 3.90
1978 45,221,625 1,040,218 241,146 799,072 23.0 5.3 17.7 3.66
1979 46,113,756 1,073,436 214,111 859,325 23.2 4.6 18.6 3.51
1980 46,961,338 1,077,300 247,970 729,320 22.9 5.3 17.6 3.36
1981 47,875,002 1,062,238 239,423 822,815 22.2 5.0 17.2 3.18
1982 48,846,927 1,075,632 247,402 828,230 22.0 5.0 17.0 3.00
1983 49,515,074 1,055,802 252,592 803,210 21.3 5.1 16.2 3.02
1984 50,583,105 956,680 225,282 731,398 19.0 4.5 14.5 2.70
1985 51,795,651 973,624 225,088 748,536 18.8 4.4 14.4 2.57
1986 52,969,204 945,827 218,025 727,802 18.0 4.1 13.9 2.45
1987 53,873,172 884,043 232,968 651,075 16.5 4.3 12.2 2.35
1988 54,960,917 873,842 231,227 642,615 16.0 4.2 11.8 2.26
1989 55,888,393 905,837 246,570 659,267 16.3 4.4 11.9 2.18
1990 56,303,273 956,237 252,512 703,725 17.0 4.5 12.5 2.11
1991 56,961,030 960,556 264,350 696,206 17.0 4.7 12.3 2.06
1992 57,788,965 964,557 275,313 689,244 16.8 4.8 12.0 1.98
1993 58,336,072 957,832 285,731 672,101 16.5 4.9 11.6 1.89
1994 59,095,419 960,248 305,526 654,722 16.3 5.2 11.1 1.84
1995 59,460,382 963,678 324,842 638,836 16.2 5.5 10.7 1.81
1996 60,116,182 983,395 315,467 667,928 16.3 5.2 11.1 1.85
1997 60,816,227 880,028 279,090 600,938 14.5 4.6 9.9 1.69
1998 61,466,178 862,260 344,210 518,050 14.0 5.6 8.4 1.69
1999 61,661,701 774,349 315,550 382,271 12.5 5.1 7.4 1.51
2000 61,878,746 773,009 365,741 407,268 12.5 5.9 6.6 1.53
2001 62,308,887 790,425 369,493 420,932 12.7 6.0 6.7 1.54
2002 62,799,872 782,911 380,364 402,547 12.5 6.1 6.4 1.53
2003 63,079,765 742,183 384,131 358,052 11.8 6.1 5.7 1.47
2004 61,973,621* 813,069 393,592 419,477 13.0 6.3 6.7 1.55
2005 62,418,054 809,485 395,374 414,111 13.0 6.4 6.6 1.55
2006 62,828,706 793,623 391,126 402,497 12.7 6.2 6.5 1.53
2007 63,038,247 797,588 393,255 404,333 12.7 6.3 6.4 1.54
2008 63,389,730 784,256 397,326 386,930 12.4 6.3 6.1 1.51
2009 63,525,062 765,047 393,916 371,131 12.1 6.2 5.9 1.47
2010 63,878,267 761,689 411,331 350,358 12.0 6.5 5.5 1.49
2011 64,076,033 782,198 414,670 367,528 12.2 6.5 5.7 1.55
2012 64,456,695 780,975 415,141 365,834 12.2 6.5 5.7 1.56
2013 64,785,909 748,081 426,065 322,016 11.6 6.6 5.0 1.46
2014 65,124,716 711,081 435,624 275,457 11.0 6.7 4.3 1.41
2015 65,729,098 679,502 445,964 233,538 10.4 6.9 3.5 1.45 [12]: 12 [13]
2016 65,931,550 666,207 469,085 197,122 10.2 7.2 3.0 1.39
2017 66,188,503 656,570 458,010 198,560 10.1 7.0 3.1 1.38 [14]
2018 66,413,979 628,450 461,818 166,632 9.6 7.1 2.5 1.36 [14]
2019 66,558,935 596,736 494,339 102,397 9.1 7.5 1.6 1.25 [15]
2020 66,186,727 569,338 489,717 79,621 8.7 7.5 1.2 1.18
2021 66,171,439 544,570 563,650 −19,080 8.1 8.4 −0.3 1.16
2022 66,090,475 502,107 595,965 −93,858 7.6 9.0 −1.4 1.073
2023 66,052,615 517,934 565,992 −48,058 7.8 8.5 -0.7 1.03(e)

Current vital statistics

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[16]

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January - November 2023 476,961 518,992 −42,031
January - November 2024 425,792 525,152 −99,360
Difference Decrease -51,169 (-10.73%) Negative increase +6,160 (+1.18%) Decrease -57,329

UN estimates

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Statistics for births and deaths: all figures are per year
Period Live
births 		Deaths Natural
change 		CBR1 CDR1 NC1 TFR1 IMR1
1950–1955 940 000 344 000 596 000 42.5 15.6 27.0 6.14 130.3
1955–1960 1 093 000 348 000 745 000 43.0 13.7 29.3 6.14 108.7
1960–1965 1 249 000 353 000 896 000 42.3 12.0 30.3 6.13 90.5
1965–1970 1 386 000 362 000 1 025 000 40.4 10.5 29.8 5.99 75.5
1970–1975 1 371 000 355 000 1 016 000 34.6 8.9 25.6 5.05 63.2
1975–1980 1 297 000 338 000 959 000 28.9 7.5 21.3 3.92 50.4
1980–1985 1 201 000 300 000 901 000 24.1 6.0 18.1 2.95 38.9
1985–1990 1 113 000 266 000 848 000 20.4 4.9 15.5 2.30 29.1
1990–1995 1 050 000 313 000 737 000 18.0 5.4 12.6 1.99 22.6
1995–2000 955 000 373 000 582 000 15.6 6.1 9.5 1.77 18.6
2000–2005 13.6 7.0 6.6 1.60
2005–2010 12.3 7.2 5.1 1.56
2010–2015 11.2 7.3 3.9 1.53
2015–2020 10.5 7.6 2.9 1.53
2020–2025 9.5 8.3 1.2 1.46
2025–2030 8.9 9.1 -0.2 1.42

1 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births. Sources:[17]
Figures highlighted in yellow are projections.

Life expectancy at birth

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Life expectancy in Thailand since 1937
Life expectancy in Thailand since 1960 by gender

Average life expectancy at birth of the total population.[18]

Period Life
expectancy
(years) 		Period Life
expectancy
(years)
1950–1955 50.8 1985–1990 69.8
1955–1960 53.3 1990–1995 70.2
1960–1965 56.1 1995–2000 70.3
1965–1970 58.2 2000–2005 71.2
1970–1975 60.7 2005–2010 73.2
1975–1980 63.3 2010–2015 75.2
1980–1985 65.8 2015–2020 76.8

Total fertility rate

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Total fertility rate (TFR) in Thailand by region and year:[19]

Region 2005–06 1995–96 1985–86
Thailand (total) 1.471 2.022 2.730
Urban 1.033 1.332 1.766
Rural 1.727 2.285 2.962
Bangkok Metropolis 0.878 1.261 1.735
Central Region[20] 1.190 1.664 2.494
Northern Region 1.575 1.894 2.248
Northeastern Region 2.038 2.435 3.096
Southern Region 1.524 2.851 4.049

Total fertility rate (TFR) in Thailand by province as of 2010:[21]

Province Total
fertility
rate
Bangkok Metropolis 0.89
Samut Prakan 0.86
Nonthaburi 1.03
Pathum Thani 0.78
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya 1.54
Ang Thong 1.64
Lopburi 1.66
Sing Buri 1.71
Chai Nat 1.63
Saraburi 1.87
Chonburi 0.60
Rayong 1.23
Chanthaburi 1.40
Trat 1.42
Chachoengsao 1.34
Prachinburi 1.48
Nakhon Nayok 1.67
Sa Kaeo 2.16
Nakhon Ratchasima 1.65
Buriram 2.07
Surin 2.26
Sisaket 2.09
Ubon Ratchathani 1.65
Yasothon 1.88
Chaiyaphum 1.88
Amnat Charoen 1.86
Bueng Kan 2.06
Nong Bua Lamphu 1.95
Khon Kaen 1.47
Udon Thani 1.56
Loei 1.60
Nong Khai 1.65
Maha Sarakham 1.50
Roi Et 2.06
Kalasin 1.73
Sakon Nakhon 1.66
Nakhon Phanom 1.94
Mukdahan 1.63
Chiang Mai 1.22
Lamphun 1.26
Lampang 1.45
Uttaradit 1.80
Phrae 1.66
Nan 1.77
Phayao 1.45
Chiang Rai 1.59
Mae Hong Son 1.66
Nakhon Sawan 1.69
Uthai Thani 1.31
Kamphaeng Phet 1.86
Tak 1.94
Sukhothai 1.83
Phitsanulok 1.70
Phichit 1.98
Phetchabun 1.90
Ratchaburi 1.37
Kanchanaburi 1.81
Suphan Buri 1.72
Nakhon Pathom 1.04
Samut Sakhon 0.98
Samut Songkhram 1.58
Phetchaburi 1.37
Prachuap Khiri Khan 1.52
Nakhon Si Thammarat 1.78
Krabi 1.68
Phang Nga 1.70
Phuket 0.88
Surat Thani 1.30
Ranong 1.29
Chumphon 1.40
Songkhla 1.47
Satun 1.92
Trang 1.53
Phatthalung 1.82
Pattani 1.80
Yala 1.84
Narathiwat 2.00

Ethnic groups

[edit]
Further information: Ethnic groups in Thailand
Ethnological map of Thailand, 1974

Thailand's ethnic origins are diverse and continue to evolve. The nation's ethnic makeup is obscured by the pressures of Thaification, Thai nationalism, and social pressure, which is intertwined with a caste-like mentality assigning some groups higher social status than others. In its report to the United Nations for the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Thai government officially recognized 62 ethnic communities.[22]: 3  Twenty million Central Thai (together with approximately 650,000 Khorat Thai) make up approximately 20,650,000 million (34.1 percent) of the nation's population of 60,544,937[23] at the time of completion of the Mahidol University Ethnolinguistic Maps of Thailand data (1997).[24]

Thailand's report to the UN provided population numbers for mountain peoples and ethnic communities in the northeast. Thus, though over 3.288 million people in the northeast alone could not be categorised, the population and percentages of other ethnic communities c. 1997 are known and constitute minimum populations. In descending order, the largest (equal to or greater than 400,000) are:

  1. Lao (15,080,000, 24.9%) consisting of the Thai Lao[25] (14 million) and other smaller Lao groups, namely the Thai Loei (400–500,000), Lao Lom (350,000), Lao Wiang/Klang (200,000), Lao Khrang (90,000), Lao Ngaew (30,000), and Lao Ti (10,000)
  2. 6 million Khon Muang (9.9%, also called Northern Thais)
  3. 4.5 million Pak Tai (7.5%, also called Southern Thais)
  4. 1.4 million Khmer Leu (2.3%, also called Northern Khmer)
  5. 900,000 Malay (1.5%)
  6. 500,000 Nyaw (0.8%)
  7. 470,000 Phu Thai (0.8%)
  8. 400,000 Kuy/Kuay (also known as Suay) (0.7%)
  9. 350,000 Karen (0.6%).[22]: 7–13 

Thailand's Ministry of Social Development and Human Security's 2015 Master Plan for the Development of Ethnic Groups in Thailand 2015–2017[26] omitted the larger, ethnoregional ethnic communities, including the Central Thai majority; it therefore covers only 9.7% of the population.[26]

There is a significant number of Thai-Chinese in Thailand. However, Chinese origins as evidenced by surname were erased in the 1920s by royal decree, about one-sixth of Thais may have Chinese origins.[27] One scholar estimated that the Sino-Thai population, itself around 14 per cent of the total, was composed of around 56 percent Teochew, 16 percent Hakka, 12 percent Hainanese, 7 percent Hokkien, 7 percent Cantonese and 2 percent other.[28] Significant intermixing has taken place such that there are few pure ethnic Chinese, and those of partially mixed Chinese ancestry account for as much as a third to a half of the Thai population. Those assigned Thai ethnicity in the census process made up the vast majority of the population in 2010 (95.9 percent); two percent were Burmese, 1.3 percent other, and 0.9 percent unspecified.[29] Thus, the ethnosocial and genetic makeup situation is very different from that which is reported or self-claimed.

The vast majority of the Isan people, one-third of Thailand's population, are of ethnic Lao[25] with some belonging to the Khmer minority. They speak the Isan language. Additionally there have been more recent waves of immigration from Vietnam and Cambodia across porous borders due to wars and subsequent poverty over the last few decades, whose immigrants have tried to keep a low profile and blend in.

In more recent years the Isan people began mixing with the rest of the nation as urbanization and mobility increase. Myanmar's numerous ethnic wars between the army and tribes who speak more than 40 languages and control large fiefdoms or states, has led to waves of immigrants seeking refuge or work in Thailand. The makeup of Myanmar nationals is complex and includes, for example, people of Nepali ethnicity who escaped Nepal, entered Myanmar, and then emigrated to Thailand.

Following the 2014 Thai coup d'état, Thailand's Department of Employment released figures showing that 408,507 legal workers from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia worked in Thailand. An additional 1,630,279 Myanmar nationals of all ethnicities, 40,546 Laotians, and 153,683 Cambodians were without legal work authorization, but also worked and resided in Thailand.[30] Some 180,000 Cambodians were said to have left Thailand post-coup due to crackdown rumors, indicating government figures were an under count.[31] These statistics are merely a single snapshot and hardly authoritative as there is constant movement and much eluding of authority.

The language of the central Thai population is the educational and administrative language. Other dialects of Thai exist, most notably the Southern Thai language. Several other small Tai (not Thai) groups include the Shan, Lue, and Phu Thai.

Malay- and Yawi-speaking Muslims of the south are another significant minority group (2.3 percent), yet there are a substantial number of ethnic Malays who speak only Thai. Other groups include the Khmer; the Mon, who are substantially assimilated with the Thai, and the Vietnamese.

Smaller mountain-dwelling tribes, such as the Hmong and Mien, as well as the Karen, number about 788,024. Some 300,000 Hmong were to have received citizenship in 2010.[citation needed]

Thailand is also home to more than 200,000 foreigners—retirees, extended tourists, and workers from, for example, Europe, North America, and elsewhere.[32]

Languages

[edit]
Further information: Languages of Thailand and Nationality, religion, and language data for the provinces of Thailand

Thailand is dominated by languages of the Southwestern Tai family. Karen languages are spoken along the border with Burma, Khmer is spoken near Cambodia (and previously throughout central Thailand), and Malay in the south near Malaysia.

The Thai hill tribes speak numerous small languages, many Chinese retain varieties of Chinese, and there are half a dozen sign languages. Thailand has 73 living languages.[33]

The following table shows first languages in Thailand with 400,000 or more speakers according to the Royal Thai Government's 2011 Country Report to the Committee Responsible for the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.[22]

Official first languages of Thailand with 400,000 or more speakers[22]
Language Speakers Language Family
Central Thai 20.0 million Tai-Kadai
Lao 15.2 million Tai-Kadai
Kam Mueang 6.0 million Tai-Kadai
Pak Tai 4.5 million Tai-Kadai
Northern Khmer 1.4 million Austroasiatic
Yawi 1.4 million Austronesian
Ngaw 0.5 million Tai-Kadai
Phu Thai 0.5 million Tai-Kadai
Karen 0.4 million Sino-Tibetan
Kuy 0.4 million Austroasiatic

The following table employs 2010 census data. Caution should be exercised with Thai census data on first language. In Thai censuses, the four largest Tai-Kadai languages of Thailand (in order, Central Thai, Isan (majority Lao), Kam Mueang, Pak Tai) are not provided as options for language or ethnic group. People declaring one of these as a first language, including Lao, are assigned to "Thai".[34] This explains the disparity between the two tables. For instance, self-reporting as Lao has been prohibited, due to the prohibition of the Lao ethnonym in the context of describing Thai citizens for approximately one hundred years.[35][36] This was due to the promotion of "Thai" national identity to cement Siamese claims over the Lao city-states of what is now northern and northeast Thailand following the 1893 Franco-Siamese crisis and subsequent threats posed by French Indochina to the Lao tributary states of Siam. The birth of a homogenizing Thai ethnocentric national identity sufficient to begin transforming Siam from an absolute monarchy into a modern nation-state was achieved by assimilating the Lao with this Thai "identity", equivalent to what is now known as the Tai–Kadai languages, under a "Greater Thai Empire", and can be traced back to at least 1902.[37] This homogenization began affecting the Thai census from 1904 onwards. The 2011 UN report data is therefore more comprehensive and better differentiates between the large Tai-Kadai languages of Thailand. As a country submission to a UN convention ratified by Thailand, it is also arguably more authoritative.

Population of Thailand above the age of 5 by language (UN statistics 2010)[38]
Language Language family No. of speakers
Thai Tai-Kadai 59,866,190
Burmese Sino-Tibetan 827,713
Tai Tai-Kadai 787,696
Karen Sino-Tibetan 441,114
English Indo-European 323,779
Chinese Sino-Tibetan 111,866
Japanese Japonic 70,677
Hindi Indo-European 22,938
Vietnamese Austroasiatic 8,281
Malay Austronesian 2,913
Others 3,518,502
Total 65,981,659

Religion

[edit]
Further information: Religion in Thailand

Theravada Buddhism is the official religion of Thailand. 93.5 percent are estimated to be Buddhist; 5.4 percent Muslim; 1.1 percent Christian; and 0.1 percent other or have no religion.[39]

In addition to Malay and Yawi speaking Thai and other southerners who are Muslim, the Muslim Cham of Cambodia in recent years began a large scale influx into Thailand. The government permits religious diversity, and other major religions are represented, though there is much social tension, especially in the Muslim south. Spirit worship and animism are widely practiced.

Migration

[edit]

Immigration

[edit]

The largest foreign community are the Burmese, followed by the Cambodians and Laotians.[40]

As of March 2018, Thai government data showed that over 770,900 Cambodian migrants, meaning five percent of the total population of Cambodia, currently live in Thailand. Some NGOs estimate that the actual number may be up to one million.[41]

Laotians are particularly numerous considering the small size of Laos' population, about seven million, due to the lack of a language barrier. The Chinese expatriate employee population in Thailand, mostly Bangkok, has doubled from 2011 to 2016, making it the largest foreign community in Thailand not originating in a neighbouring country. Chinese hold 13.3 percent of all work permits issued in Thailand, an increase of almost one-fifth since 2015.[42] Japanese expats are on the decline, and now rank sixth, behind Chinese and British. One in every four foreigners working in Thailand formerly were Japanese, and the figure has now dropped slightly to 22.8 percent of the foreign workforce as of late-2016.[43]

Foreign residents in Thailand, according to the 2010 Census. It was found that there were 2,581,141 of foreign origins, composing around 3.87 percent of Thailand's population.[44] Migrants from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, the most prevalent, accounted for 1.8 million foreigners.[40]

Research by Kasikorn Bank estimated that in 2016, there were 68,300 foreigners over 50 years old—the minimum age for a retirement visa—holding long-stay visas living in Thailand, a 9% increase over the preceding two years. In 2018, Thailand issued almost 80,000 retirement visas, an increase of 30% from 2014, with Britons accounting for the majority of the new visas.[45]

In 2010 there were 27,357 Westerners living in the northeastern region, 90 percent living with Thai spouses, according to research by the College of Population Studies at Chulalongkorn University in 2017.[46]

As of 2016, up to 145,000 Taiwanese expatriates live in Thailand.[47]

Foreign residents by country of origin 2010[40]
Nationality Population Percentage
Myanmar Myanmar 1,292,686
50.08%
Cambodia Cambodia 281,292
10.90%
Laos Laos 222,432
8.62%
China China 141,553
5.48%
United Kingdom United Kingdom 85,836
3.33%
Japan Japan 80,898
3.13%
India India 46,326
1.80%
United States United States 40,230
1.56%
Netherlands Netherlands 25,000
1.34%
Germany Germany 24,383
0.94%
France France 22,486
0.87%
Vietnam Vietnam 17,662
0.68%
Philippines Philippines 17,574
0.68%
Malaysia Malaysia 8,182
0.32%
Norway Norway 2,952
0.11%
Sweden Sweden 2,952
0.11%
Others 174,236
6.75%
Stateless 117,315
4.54%
Unknown 2,147
0.08%
Total population 2,581,141
100.00%
Foreign Expats by regions 2010[40]
Region Population Percentage
Southeast Asia 1,845,788
71.51%
East Asia 249,204
9.65%
Europe 200,564
7.77%
South Asia 78,454
3.04%
Northern America 46,279
1.79%
Australia and Oceania 13,233
0.51%
Central and South America 10,608
0.41%
Africa 8,166
0.32%
Western Asia 6,634
0.26%
Central Asia 2,749
0.11%
Stateless 117,315
4.54%
Unknown 2,147
0.08%
Total population 2,581,141
100.00%

References

[edit]
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