Introduction
Background
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-13th century. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. Thailand since 2005 has experienced several rounds of political turmoil, including a military coup in 2006 and major street protests in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2020.
Geography
Area
total : 513,120 sq km
land: 510,890 sq km
water: 2,230 sq km
Climate
tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
Natural resources
tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land
People and Society
Population
total: 69,920,998
Ethnic groups
Thai 97.5%, Burmese 1.3%, other 1.1%, unspecified <0.1% (2015 est.)
Languages
Thai (official) only 90.7%, Thai and other languages 6.4%, only other languages 2.9% (includes Malay, Burmese); note - data represent population by language(s) spoken at home; English is a secondary language of the elite (2010 est.)
Religions
Buddhist 92.5%, Muslim 5.4%, Christian 1.2%, other 0.9% (includes animist, Confucian, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh, and Taoist) (2021 est.)
Population growth rate
0.17% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
constitutional monarchy
Capital
name: Bangkok
Executive branch
chief of state: King WACHIRALONGKON, also spelled Vajiralongkorn (since 1 December 2016)
head of government: Prime Minister SETTHA Thawisin, also spelled SRETTHA Thavisin (since 5 September 2023)
Legislative branch
description: bicameral National Assembly or Ratthasapha consists of:
Senate or Wuthisapha (200 seats; members indirectly elected in a three-step process (district, provincial, and national) from 20 eligible groups of professionals (see note) and then certified by Election Commission for a single 5-year term)
House of Representatives or Saphaphuthan Ratsadon (500 seats; 400 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 100 members elected in a single nationwide constituency by party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Economy
Economic overview
upper middle-income Southeast Asian economy; substantial infrastructure; major electronics, food, and automobile parts exporter; globally used currency; extremely low unemployment, even amid COVID-19; ongoing Thailand 4.0 economic development
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.516 trillion (2023 est.)
$1.488 trillion (2022 est.)
$1.452 trillion (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$21,100 (2023 est.)
$20,800 (2022 est.)
$20,300 (2021 est.)
Agricultural products
sugarcane, rice, cassava, oil palm fruit, maize, rubber, tropical fruits, chicken, pineapples, fruits (2022)
Industries
tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts, agricultural machinery, air conditioning and refrigeration, ceramics, aluminum, chemical, environmental management, glass, granite and marble, leather, machinery and metal work, petrochemical, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, printing, pulp and paper, rubber, sugar, rice, fishing, cassava, world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer
Exports
$336.871 billion (2023 est.)
$324.063 billion (2022 est.)
$295.972 billion (2021 est.)
Exports - partners
US 17%, China 11%, Japan 8%, Vietnam 4%, Malaysia 4% (2022)
Exports - commodities
machine parts, integrated circuits, cars, trucks, vehicle parts/accessories (2022)
Imports
$328.009 billion (2023 est.)
$334.478 billion (2022 est.)
$296.115 billion (2021 est.)
Imports - partners
China 26%, Japan 11%, UAE 6%, US 5%, Malaysia 5% (2022)
Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, integrated circuits, gold, natural gas, vehicle parts/accessories (2022)
Exchange rates
baht per US dollar -
Page last updated: Wednesday, July 24, 2024
