Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

 

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Thailand spends US$7.315 million on its military, or 1.4 percent of its GDP. This makes Thailand the 30th highest military spender in the world and represents 0.38 percent of total global military expenditure. 

The military of Thailand, the Royal Thai Armed Forces, consist of a Navy, ground forces and an air force. From 1850 until 1932, it has been used for territorial expansion by the Thai king. After the revolution of 1932, the military has mostly been active in internal politics with regular cops taking place. Its current task is to provide external and internal stability as well as disaster relief.

Military membership

Thailand is also a member of 4 international military organizations. This makes it the 136th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 
  • Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 
  • International Atomic Energy Agency 
  • Non-Aligned Movement 

Military membership

International wars

Thailand has partaken in 15 international wars. These are: 

  • Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67) 
  • Cambodian rebellion 1811–11 
  • Cambodian rebellion 1840-1841 
  • Burmese–Siamese War 1849–1855 
  • Pahang Civil War 1857-1863 
  • Franco-Siamese War 1893-1893 
  • World War I 1914-1918 
  • World War II 1939-1945 
  • Korean conflict 1945-present 
  • Malayan Emergency 1948-1960 
  • Korean War 1950-1953 
  • Vietnam War 1955-1975 
  • Third Indochina War 1975-1991 
  • Cambodian–Vietnamese War 1975-1989 
  • Cambodian–Thai border dispute 2008-2011 

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Thailand is a member of 16 international political organizations. This makes it the 37th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Member state of the United Nations 
  • International Labour Organization 
  • Asia Cooperation Dialogue 
  • ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations 
  • Mekong–Ganga Cooperation 
  • Mekong River Commission 
  • Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia 
  • Colombo Plan 
  • Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization 

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

It is the 127th most democratic state in the world. Even though people are allowed to vote, opposition parties have been disbanded and civil protest against the current political system have been quashed. 

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Thailand take place in the form of a constitutional monarchy where the king is head of state and the Prime Minister is head of government. The Thai military has had a dominant role in politics over the last 80 years and continues to do so to this day. 

  • International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property 

  • Interpol 

  • Permanent Court of Arbitration 

  • Global Green Growth Institute 

  • Association of World Election Bodies 

  • Partners in Population and Development 

  • World Organization for Animal Health 

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Timor-Leste.

Thailand 

Known for its cuisine, its many Buddhist temples as well as being one of the most visited states in the world, Thailand, or the Kingdom of Thailand has been the only state in Southeast Asia that has not been colonized. The early Thai people originated from China and Laos. These people mainly lived an agricultural lifestyle. From the 13th century, the Thai people united in the central part of modern-day Thailand under the kingdom of Sukhothai. This kingdom lasted until the start of the 15th century when it was replaced by the Ayutthaya kingdom which ruled over Thailand from the 15th century until the end of the 18th century. During this time, the Thai Empire expanded rapidly, but due to a continuing war with Burma its empire started to decline. With the arrival of the European powers, Thailand had to give up a large part of its territory which covered most of southeast Asia. After the Siamese revolution in 1932, Thailand transitioned from a monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. Since then, Thailand aligned itself with the axis powers during the second world war. After the second world war, Thailand has had a long economic struggle which was further enlarged by more than 10 coups that have taken place between 1945 and 2015. Today, Thailand is in the transition of becoming a modern economy with remaining political tensions. 

 Located in southeast Asia, the geography of Thailand consists of a mountainous northern part with a mountain range that runs along its border with Burma and a flat central part. Most of its terrain is lightly forested in its flat central part and densely forested in its mountain range. In total, Thailand borders four other states with Laos to its northeast, Cambodia to its east, Malaysia to its south and Myanmar to its west. 

It is the 50th largest state with a total surface area of 515.686 square kilometers or 199.111 square miles. This makes Thailand slightly smaller than Spain and slightly larger than Yemen. 

It has a total water surface area of 2241 square kilometers or 864 square miles. This makes Thailand the 89th largest state in the world. 

 

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its drinking water is derived from underground aquifers which have a natural filtration system and supply more than 70 percent of all drinking water. However, tap water is of average quality. 

The climate of Thailand is a tropical climate which is hot and humid from March to June, has a monsoon season from June to October and a relatively cool period from November to February. The average temperature is 26.5 degrees Celsius or 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Thailand the 27th warmest state in the world. 

The average high temperature is 31.5 degrees Celsius or 89 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The average low temperature is 21.9 degrees Celsius or 71.4 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During its monsoon season, Thailand receives approximately 80 percent of all of its rainfall. Its rainfall is unevenly spread out with its southern part receiving three times as much as its northern part. On average, Thailand receives 161.3 centimetres or 63.5 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 48th highest in the world. 

The capital of Thailand, Bangkok, is home to 8.4 million people. The closest capital is Vientiane, Laos, with a distance of 490 kilometers or 304 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Lima, Peru, with a distance of 19.708 kilometers or 12.246 miles.  

The economy of Thailand has made large developments throughout the second half of the 20th century. After the second world war, the Thai economy was mainly a developing economy with widespread poverty. However, from the 1960s, the Thai government started to industrialize which led to higher average wages and a higher standard of living. Its rapid economic growth, however, has had an unequal distribution throughout Thailand with its urbanized centers receiving the majority while its rural area still has a high poverty rate. Today, Thailand has been a top exporter of rice, electronics and chemicals which are mainly exported to the United States and China which combined represent nearly 30 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China and Japan which represent more than 35 percent of all imports. 

Thailand is a member of 15 international economic organizations. This makes it the 50th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Alliance for Financial Inclusion 
  • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 
  • Bank for International Settlements 
  • International Monetary Fund 
  • World Bank Group 
  • World Customs Organization 
  • World Trade Organization 
  • Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 
  • Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation 
  • International Bamboo and Rattan Organization 
  • Indian Ocean Rim Association 
  • International Renewable Energy Agency 
  • International Solar Alliance 
  • Group of 77 
  • Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law 

It has a GDP of US$512.517 million, which makes it the 26th highest in the world and represents 0.61 percent of total global GDP.  

Its GDP per surface area is the 69th highest in the world with US$993.855 per square kilometer or US$2.574.031 per square mile.  

Its GDP per capita is the 83rd highest in the world with US$7.444. 

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 72nd highest in the world with US$18.383. 

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Thailand is the 20th most populous state in the world with a total population of 68.8 million people. The majority of its population are ethnically Thai and it has Thai as its official language. Other minorities mainly come from Burma and Laos. 

It has the 66th highest population density in the world with 133 people per square kilometer or 345 people per square mile.  

Around 1.4 percent of the population, or just over 950,000 people, have migrated to other states. This makes Thailand the 69th state with the highest number of emigrants and represents 0.38 percent of total global emigration. The main destinations have been Europe, North America and Australia with the largest recipient of being the United States which is responsible for roughly a quarter of all migrants. 

Immigration to Thailand is represented by 5.45 percent of the population, or just over 3.6 million people. This makes Thailand the 14th state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 1.45 percent of total global immigration. Despite having strict immigration laws, Thailand has attracted highly skilled laborers from all over the world. However, the largest representative of migrants has been Burma, which is solely responsible for half of all migrants. The Burmese people migrated to Thailand due to its political unrest as well as better job opportunities. 

The literacy rate in Thailand stands at 94.5 percent which is the 97th highest in the world. Its education is mainly provided by the government through the Ministry of education which mandates nine years of education which is provided for free. 

As a result of its economic growth, Thailand has made large investments in its healthcare system as well as investing in the prevention of diseases. Today, noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death. The average life expectancy is 77.8 years which is the 44th highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 81.3 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 74.2 years. 

The government of Thailand provides freedom of religion towards all religions. These rights are generally upheld, but there have been tensions between the Buddhist and Muslim population in southern Thailand. 

Christianity is represented by 0.8 percent of the population which makes it the 187th most Christian state in the world. 

 

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed 

Islam is represented by 5.1 percent of the population which makes it the 95th most Islamic state in the world. The majority of Muslims in Thailand adhere to the Sunni denomination and are mainly situated in the southern provinces of Thailand. The Muslims in these provinces have attempted to separate themselves from Thailand throughout the 20th century, but so far have failed. 

Buddhism is the largest religion in Thailand and is represented by 93.2 percent of the population. The majority of the Buddhist population adheres to the Therava school of Buddhism. It is argued that Buddhism arrived in Thailand during the third century BC through India and has slowly converted its population as well as the Thai royalty which is the leading figure in Thai Buddhist culture. 

Hinduism is represented by 0.1 percent of the population and are mainly made up of families that have practiced Buddhism during the Khmer empire period. 

Judaism is represented by less than 0.01 percent of the population and are mainly located in the larger cities. 

Other religions are represented by 0.1 percent of the population and mainly come from Chinese migrants which adhere to Confucianism and Taoism. 

Irreligion is represented by 0.2 percent of the population.