Introduction
Background
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been colonized by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.
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
69,794,997 (2023 est.)
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
0.2% (2023 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 SRETTHA Thawisin (since 5 September 2023)
Legislative branch
description: bicameral National Assembly or Ratthasapha consists of:
Senate or Wuthisapha (currently 250 seats; members appointed by the National Council for Peace and Order to serve 5-year terms; the Senate appointed in 2024 will consist of 200 members elected from various groups of professionals for a 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)
$1.255 trillion (2022 est.)
$1.223 trillion (2021 est.)
$1.205 trillion (2020 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$17,500 (2022 est.)
$17,100 (2021 est.)
$16,900 (2020 est.)
Agricultural products
sugar cane, cassava, rice, oil palm fruit, rubber, maize, tropical fruit, poultry, pineapples, mangoes/guavas
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
$324.063 billion (2022 est.)
$295.972 billion (2021 est.)
$257.981 billion (2020 est.)
Exports - partners
United States 16%, China 13%, Japan 9%, Vietnam 4%, Australia 4% (2021)
Exports - commodities
office machinery/parts, cars and vehicle parts, integrated circuits, delivery trucks, refined petroleum, rubber (2021)
Imports
$334.478 billion (2022 est.)
$296.115 billion (2021 est.)
$232.048 billion (2020 est.)
Imports - partners
China 22%, Japan 14%, United States 7%, Malaysia 6% (2019)
Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, integrated circuits, natural gas, vehicle parts, gold (2019)
Exchange rates
baht per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
35.061 (2022 est.)
31.977 (2021 est.)
31.294 (2020 est.)
31.048 (2019 est.)
32.31 (2018 est.)
Page last updated: Wednesday, April 24, 2024
