Population of Thailand

The population of Thailand is now 61.5 million, about 10 million of whom live in the capital city of Bangkok. Thais form the majority, though the area has historically been a migratory crossroads, and thus strains of Mon, Khmer, Burmese, Lao, Malay, Indian and most strongly, Chinese stock produce a degree of ethnic diversity. Integration is such, however, that culturally and socially there is enormous unity.

The largest ethnic minority is the Chinese and other ethnic groups include Malays, Cambodians, Vietnamese, and Indians.

According to estimates of United Nations Population Information Network, the population of Thailand would be about 74 million in the year 2050.

Approximately 68% of the population lives in rural areas and the majority are farmers with incomes reliant upon subsistence agriculture. Rapid change has had a disruptive effect on social structures. Urban migration to Bangkok, the capital city, has led to serious problems of congestion, land shortage, and water and air pollution. Although a period of fast economic and social transformation has improved the quality of life, there is now evidence that the income inequalities both within and between regions and between rich and poor groups are widening. The replacement of the extended family by the nuclear family has weakened the sense of community and traditional forms of co- operation and safety nets, increasing the vulnerability of disadvantaged groups. Drug addiction and crime are on the increase.

POPULATION
Mid-year Total Population 1998 (millions)	61.1
Mid-year Total Population 2025 (millions)	71.6
Annual Growth Rate (%)	1.1
Population aged under 15 (%)	27
Urban Population (%)	31

FERTILITY and CONTRACEPTION
Crude birth rate (births per 1,000 of a population in a given year)	17
Total Fertility Rate (Sum of the age-specific fertility rates in a given year)	2
Women aged 15-19 giving live births each year (%)	4
Women aged 15-49 using contraception (all methods) (%)	72
Women aged 15-49 using contraception (modern methods)(%)	70

MORTALITY
Crude Death Rate (deaths per 1,000 of a population in a given year)	7
Average Life expectancy in years (men)	67
Average Life expectancy in years (women)	72
Infant Mortality Rate (Number of deaths to infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a given year)	31
Maternal Mortality Rate (Number of deaths to women due to pregnancy or childbearing complications per 100,000 live births in a given year)	200

HEALTH
Access to Services (%)	90
Access to safe water (%)	89
Population per doctor	4762

EDUCATION and EMPLOYMENT
Rate of Employment (%)	56
Rate of Unemployment (%)	2.7
Literacy Rate (men) (%)	96
Literacy Rate (women) (%)	92
Workforce (men) (%)	56
Workforce (women) (%)	44

Information source: International Planned Parenthood Federation and United Nations Population Information Network