Thailand Country Overview
Where is Thailand located? Thailand is a kingdom found in Southeast Asia. The largest and most famous city is Bangkok. On the time zone map you can see that Thailand is in a different time zone than Germany. This means that there is a time difference of 6 hours between the two countries. A time zone map divides countries into time zones. That always depends on how far apart the time in this country is from the international world time (UTC). Thailand is 7 hours ahead of this world clock. (UTC+7)
Bordering Countries of Thailand
According to abbreviationfinder, Thailand is bordered by four countries: Myanmar to the north and west, Laos to the northeast, Cambodia to the east, and Malaysia to the south. Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a Southeast Asian country of more than 135 ethnic groups. It shares a border with India and Bangladesh in addition to Thailand. A majority of Myanmar’s population follows Theravada Buddhism and speaks Burmese as their primary language. The capital city of Yangon is located on the eastern coast of the country. Lao People’s Democratic Republic or Laos is a landlocked nation located in Southeast Asia. It has borders with China and Vietnam to the north and east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west. Buddhism is practiced by most of its citizens while Lao is its official language. Vientiane is its capital city which has many historic Buddhist temples like That Luang Stupa, Wat Si Saket and Haw Phra Kaew temple complex. Cambodia lies between Thailand and Vietnam in Southeast Asia with a coastline on the Gulf of Thailand. The majority of Cambodians practice Theravada Buddhism as their religion while Khmer is their official language. Phnom Penh serves as its capital city which houses some important attractions like Royal Palace, National Museum, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum etc. Finally, Malaysia lies south of Thailand across the Gulf of Thailand with Singapore at its southern tip. It consists mainly of Malay-speaking people who practice Islam as their religion along with other minority religions such as Christianity, Hinduism etc.. Bahasa Melayu or Malay serves as its official language while Kuala Lumpur serves as its capital city which houses many attractions like Petronas Twin Towers etc..
Population Distribution
As of 2023, the latest population of Thailand is 68,977,400, based on our calculation of the current data from UN (United Nations).
| Total population | 68,977,400 |
| Population growth rate | 0.25% |
| Birth rate | 11.00 births per 1,000 people |
| Life expectancy | |
| Overall life expectancy | 74.05 years |
| Men life expectancy | 71.66 years |
| Women life expectancy | 76.58 years |
| Age structure | |
| 0-14 years | 16.73% |
| 15-64 years | 72.30% |
| 65 years and above | 10.97% |
| Median age | 36.70 years |
| Gender ratio (Male to Female) | 0.98 |
| Population density | 134.43 residents per km² |
| Urbanization | 31.90% |
| Ethnicities | |
| 80% Thai peoples, especially Siamese, also Shan in the N u. Lao in the NE; 12% people of Chinese origin, 4% Malay, 3% Khmer, 2% Burmese and many other minorities | |
| Religions | |
| Buddhists 95%; Muslims 3.8%, Christians 0.5%; Hindus 0.1%; Others 0.6% | |
| Human Development Index (HDI) | 0.765 |
| HDI ranking | 77th out of 194 |
People in Thailand
Thailand is located in Southeast Asia on the Gulf of Thailand. Most of the country is on the Indochinese Peninsula. The narrow, southern part of the country is part of the Malacca Peninsula. If you look at Thailand on the map, the shape of the country is a bit reminiscent of an elephant’s head.
The landscape of Thailand is very varied. Many rivers cross the country and most of the people live on these rivers. Bangkok is the capital of the country. More than ten million people live here. Most of the people in Thailand are Tai.
Most of the people in Thailand are Buddhists. The majority of the Malays in southern Thailand are Muslim. There are also very few Christians and a few Hindus. The official language in Thailand is Thai.
Tourism is a growing industry in Thailand. In terms of industry, the automotive industry is particularly important, the electronics industry and also the textile industry.
69.6 million people live in Thailand. 10 percent of them live in the capital Bangkok. 75 out of 100 people are Thai. The Thai group is not uniform. Depending on the region, there are sub-groups that speak their own dialect. 14 out of 100 residents are Chinese. Malays live mainly in the south of Thailand. They make up 4 percent of the population. Then there are the hill tribes in the north of the country. The Hmong or the Karen belong to them.
Many people fled to Thailand from the neighboring state of Myanmar when it was still ruled by a military government. As Thailand’s economy is growing, the country is a magnet for people from neighboring Laos or Cambodia. This is how many migrants live in the country, whose number is not exactly known. Many also live there illegally and mostly have no rights.
Chinese in Thailand
The Chinese have lived in Thailand for a very long time, sometimes since the 14th century. Some immigrated in the 19th century. Many of these Chinese married Thai women, took Thai citizenship, and have Thai names.
In the 20th century there were clashes with the Chinese residents. China became the enemy, especially during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), and so one began to act against the Chinese citizens and for example to dismiss them from their professions. This is also known as discrimination.
Languages in Thailand
The official language in Thailand is Thai. But there are over 70 other languages. In the big cities, many people speak English too. Thais of Chinese descent speak Chinese dialects, but most of them also speak Thai. The Malays in southern Thailand speak Malay.
Religions in Thailand
Most of the people in Thailand are Buddhists. The majority of the Malays in southern Thailand are Muslim. There are also very few Christians and a few Hindus.
94 out of 100 residents are Buddhists, although a very specific Buddhism is lived in Thailand, that is Theravada Buddhism. This is the oldest form of Buddhism. The Thai constitution states that the state has to protect religion.