8 Billion Lives
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Where you could be born / Asia / South-Eastern Asia

Born in Thailand

About 1 in 223 people born in 2023 started life in Thailand. A boy can expect to live 72 years and a girl 81, up from 44 and 46 in 1950. Most people live in cities, and nearly everyone has basic drinking water.

1 in 223
odds of being born here
591,200 births · Ranked 48th of 230
72 / 81
years of life, boys / girls
Was 44 / 46 in 1950
$7,438
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 91st of 203 · extrapolated
61%
live in a city
The rest live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 31 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 207 in every 1,000 births to 8.1.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

0255075100195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0100200300195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth72.2 years for boys, 80.9 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 58.1 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year637,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people0.5World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles93%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV1.1%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year149 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI
Malaria cases a year1 per 1,000 people at riskWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 6.4 children on average in 1950. Now it is 1.2, below the 2.1 it takes to keep a population steady.

Children per woman
02468195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman1.21UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth28.3 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

If every 100 coins of income were shared out, the richest fifth would hold 41 and the poorest fifth 8.

Who gets the income
Share of all income by fifth of the population, 2024
8%Poorest fifth
12%Second
16%Middle
22%Fourth
41%Richest fifth
Income per personabout $7,438 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank PIP, scaled between survey years Extrapolated
Share of income going to the richest fifth / poorest fifth41% / 8% (2024)World Bank PIP
Unemployment0.7% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Price rises1.2% a year (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person2.3% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming30% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed51% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment93% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Bangkok, with 5.1 million people.

61%
live in cities
100%
have electricity at home
100%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Bangkok5.1 million
Samut Prakan388,920
Mueang Nonthaburi254,375
Chon Buri219,164
Phra Pradaeng196,129
Languages
Share of people who can use each
Thai80%
English27%
Chinese2%
Thai is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Bangkok10.7 million
Chon Buri834,141
Samut Prakan644,578
Nonthaburi564,519
Prachin Buri482,835
Songkhla406,369
Ratchaburi374,100
Phuket373,603
Nakhon Ratchasima312,167
Prachuap Khiri Khan261,058

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

Large cities

Sourced: GeoNames Cities with a page: a million people or more.

All 60 regions
  • Bangkok10.7 million
  • Chon Buri834,141
  • Samut Prakan644,578
  • Nonthaburi564,519
  • Prachin Buri482,835
  • Songkhla406,369
  • Ratchaburi374,100
  • Phuket373,603
  • Nakhon Ratchasima312,167
  • Prachuap Khiri Khan261,058
  • Udon Thani244,963
  • Kanchanaburi239,396
  • Pathum Thani231,709
  • Surat Thani229,750
  • Ubon Ratchathani221,187
  • Saraburi212,129
  • Rayong207,974
  • Khon Kaen196,377
  • Chiang Mai195,894
  • Nakhon Si Thammarat182,010
  • Samut Sakhon178,221
  • Lampang174,598
  • Nakhon Pathom172,956
  • Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya157,277
  • Phetchaburi157,084
  • Phetchabun152,560
  • Chiang Rai143,948
  • Chanthaburi138,330
  • Kalasin131,212
  • Phitsanulok128,807
  • Narathiwat124,650
  • Yala123,162
  • Sukhothai122,921
  • Chaiyaphum121,524
  • Trat115,828
  • Nong Khai114,109
  • Sakon Nakhon108,822
  • Tak104,412
  • Nakhon Sawan99,811
  • Chachoengsao91,418
  • Phichit88,799
  • Trang83,299
  • Lopburi82,957
  • Loei82,236
  • Si Sa Ket81,372
  • Kamphaeng Phet80,676
  • Roi Et75,309
  • Pattani74,801
  • Chumphon71,977
  • Buriram65,808
  • Nong Bua Lamphu65,425
  • Sa Kaeo65,032
  • Lamphun58,803
  • Uttaradit58,313
  • Phrae55,557
  • Suphan Buri53,399
  • Maha Sarakham51,584
  • Phang Nga48,004
  • Surin46,673
  • Phayao44,882

People on the move

About 1.6% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are United States, South Korea, Australia.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
United States307,741
South Korea199,861
Australia109,845
Residents born abroad4.4% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 1.6% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostUnited States (307,741), South Korea (199,861), Australia (109,845)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $11.9 billion a year (2025)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

83% of older people receive a pension. Help for someone who loses a job reaches 63%.

83%
of older people receive a pension (2020)
63%
of unemployed people receive a benefit (2019)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 202434,775Our World in Data, from WHO
Significant earthquakes recorded since 19501NOAA NCEI
Hurricane-strength storms since 19801NOAA IBTrACS
Deaths in organized violence4,110 between 2001 and 2024UCDP

Now live it.

Born in Thailand, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Thailand

Elsewhere in Asia

All countries

How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences