In 1800, the population of the territory that makes up present-day Thailand was approximately 4.7 million people. As part of the kingdom of Siam, the population of Thailand would grow gradually through the 19 th century, with much of the population growth being driven by Chinese emigration from southern Qing China into Siam, in search of work and refuge from instability in their home country. This migrant influx would continue throughout the century, with estimates suggesting that the Chinese population in Siam grew from 230,000 in 1825, to over 792,000 in 1910; by 1932, over 12 percent of the population in modern-day Thailand was ethnically Chinese. Migration from China would see another surge under the reign of Vajiravudh, as the "Warlord era" in China, after the fall of the Qing dynasty, would see entire families of Chinese immigrants arriving in Thailand. While immigration would slow in later years, Chinese-Thai would remain a significant demographic in Thailand’s population, both as one of the largest overseas Chinese populations, and accounting for an estimated 11-14 percent of the total Thailand population in 2012.

Population growth would slow somewhat in the 1930s, as several rebellions and coups, paired with a rise in anti-Chinese sentiment in the country, would result in a sharp decline in immigration to the country. In the years following the Second World War, the population of Thailand would begin to grow rapidly, following a wave of urbanization and a significant increase in standard of living throughout the country. As a result, the population of Thailand would rise from approximately 20 million in 1950, to just under 63 million by the turn of the century just 50 years later. This population growth would slow somewhat as the country would continue to modernize in the 2000s, and in 2020, it is estimated that just under 70 million people live in Thailand.

As of March 2024, the population of those who were no older than 15 years old in Thailand amounted to approximately ***** million, which was the highest compared to other age groups. The next largest age group was between the ages of 46 and 55, with a total of around ***** million people.  Population development in Thailand Thailand is the fourth most populated country among all ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) member countries. The recent total population in the country stood at around ** million. While the total population number is expected to increase, the number of children in Thailand has decreased over the years. Thailand’s aging society   Thailand is one of the fastest-aging countries in the world. As of January 2023, the proportion of senior citizens in Thailand stood at ** percent. The elderly population in the country is predicted to continue growing steadily in the future. Therefore, ASEAN established the ASEAN Centre for Active Aging and Innovation (ACAI) in 2018 under the leadership of Thailand. ACAI aims to promote healthy aging and enhance the lifelong quality of aging in Thailand and other ASEAN countries.

Thailand Population: By Province: Bangkok data was reported at 5,682.415 Person th in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5,686.646 Person th for 2016. Thailand Population: By Province: Bangkok data is updated yearly, averaging 5,682.415 Person th from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2017, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,844.607 Person th in 2003 and a record low of 5,570.743 Person th in 1995. Thailand Population: By Province: Bangkok data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Provincial Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.G001: Population: By Region and Registration.

Thailand Population: By Region: Eastern data was reported at 4,743.840 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,693.420 Person th for 2016. Thailand Population: By Region: Eastern data is updated yearly, averaging 3,997.799 Person th from Dec 1975 (Median) to 2017, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,773.259 Person th in 2013 and a record low of 2,544.918 Person th in 1975. Thailand Population: By Region: Eastern data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Provincial Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.G001: Population: By Region and Registration.

In 2023, almost 70 percent of Thailand's total population was aged 15 to 64 years. In comparison, only around 15 percent were aged 0 to 14 years in that same period.

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for Thailand (POPTOTTHA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about Thailand and population.

Complete population data for Thailand showing how many people live in Thailand from 1960 to 2024

Thailand Population: By Region: Central data was reported at 3,293.504 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 3,289.487 Person th for 2016. Thailand Population: By Region: Central data is updated yearly, averaging 2,906.541 Person th from Dec 1975 (Median) to 2017, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,293.504 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 2,417.481 Person th in 1976. Thailand Population: By Region: Central data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Provincial Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.G001: Population: By Region and Registration.

Population density per pixel at 100 metre resolution. WorldPop provides estimates of numbers of people residing in each 100x100m grid cell for every low and middle income country. Through ingegrating cencus, survey, satellite and GIS datasets in a flexible machine-learning framework, high resolution maps of population counts and densities for 2000-2020 are produced, along with accompanying metadata. DATASET: Alpha version 2010 and 2015 estimates of numbers of people per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match UN population division estimates (http://esa.un.org/wpp/) and remaining unadjusted. REGION: Africa SPATIAL RESOLUTION: 0.000833333 decimal degrees (approx 100m at the equator) PROJECTION: Geographic, WGS84 UNITS: Estimated persons per grid square MAPPING APPROACH: Land cover based, as described in: Linard, C., Gilbert, M., Snow, R.W., Noor, A.M. and Tatem, A.J., 2012, Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across Africa in 2010, PLoS ONE, 7(2): e31743. FORMAT: Geotiff (zipped using 7-zip (open access tool): www.7-zip.org) FILENAMES: Example - AGO10adjv4.tif = Angola (AGO) population count map for 2010 (10) adjusted to match UN national estimates (adj), version 4 (v4). Population maps are updated to new versions when improved census or other input data become available. Thailand data available from WorldPop here.

Graph and download economic data for Population ages 65 and above for Thailand (SPPOP65UPTOZSTHA) from 1960 to 2024 about 65-years +, Thailand, and population.

Thailand Population: Non Thai Nationality data was reported at 680,549.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 665,753.000 Person for 2016. Thailand Population: Non Thai Nationality data is updated yearly, averaging 603,632.500 Person from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2017, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 711,862.000 Person in 1994 and a record low of 342,708.000 Person in 2013. Thailand Population: Non Thai Nationality data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Provincial Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.G001: Population: By Region and Registration.

Actual value and historical data chart for Thailand Population Growth Annual Percent

Historical dataset showing total population for Thailand by year from 1950 to 2025.

Population trends and statistics

Population, male in Thailand was reported at 34895390 Persons in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Thailand - Population, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Rural population (% of total population) in Thailand was reported at 45.68 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Thailand - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Population ages 25-29, female (% of female population) in Thailand was reported at 6.768 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Thailand - Population ages 25-29, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Thailand Population: Age 0-4 Year data was reported at 3,392,483.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3,565,020.000 Person for 2016. Thailand Population: Age 0-4 Year data is updated yearly, averaging 3,922,534.500 Person from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2017, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,614,957.000 Person in 1996 and a record low of 3,392,483.000 Person in 2017. Thailand Population: Age 0-4 Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Provincial Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.G002: Population: By Age.

In 2023, the annual population growth in Thailand amounted to -0.05 percent. Between 1961 and 2023, the figure dropped by 2.98 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

The Thai Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) was a nationally representative sample survey conducted from March through June 1988 to collect data on fertility, family planning, and child and maternal health. A total of 9,045 households and 6,775 ever-married women aged 15 to 49 were interviewed. Thai Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) is carried out by the Institute of Population Studies (IPS) of Chulalongkorn University with the financial support from USAID through the Institute for Resource Development (IRD) at Westinghouse. The Institute of Population Studies was responsible for the overall implementation of the survey including sample design, preparation of field work, data collection and processing, and analysis of data. IPS has made available its personnel and office facilities to the project throughout the project duration. It serves as the headquarters for the survey. The Thai Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) was undertaken for the main purpose of providing data concerning fertility, family planning and maternal and child health to program managers and policy makers to facilitate their evaluation and planning of programs, and to population and health researchers to assist in their efforts to document and analyze the demographic and health situation. It is intended to provide information both on topics for which comparable data is not available from previous nationally representative surveys as well as to update trends with respect to a number of indicators available from previous surveys, in particular the Longitudinal Study of Social Economic and Demographic Change in 1969-73, the Survey of Fertility in Thailand in 1975, the National Survey of Family Planning Practices, Fertility and Mortality in 1979, and the three Contraceptive Prevalence Surveys in 1978/79, 1981 and 1984.