Editing Thailand (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Thailand}}

{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption =Ethnic groups
of Thailand<br />(2015 estimate by [[The World Factbook]])<ref name="CIA" />
|label1 = [[Thai people|Thai]]
|value1 = 97.5
|color1 = orange
|label2 = [[Burmese in Thailand|Burmese]]
|value2 = 1.3
|color2 = red
|label3 = other
|value3 = 1.1
|color3 = black
|label4 = unspecified
|value4 = 0.1
|color4 = pink
}}
Thailand has an estimated population of 71.7 million as of 2023;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thailand |url=https://data.who.int/countries/764#:~:text=number%20of%20people,Thailand,%202023 |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=World Health Organization |language=en}}</ref>{{Contradictory inline|reason=Contradicted with the 2024 estimate at the main infobox.|date=October 2024|section=Lead}} Thailand's first census in 1909 found the population to be 8.2 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Population of Thailand from 1909 to 2000 |url=http://doc.nso.go.th/en/census/poph/prelim_e.htm |publisher=[[National Statistical Office (Thailand)]] |access-date=10 August 2023 |archive-date=10 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810230406/http://doc.nso.go.th/en/census/poph/prelim_e.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Thailand's population is largely rural, concentrated in the rice-growing areas of the central, northeastern, and northern regions. About 44.2% of Thailand's population lived in urban areas {{As of|2010|lc=y}}, slowly increasing from 29.4% in the 1990 census and 31.1% in the 2000 census.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2012 |title=20230512163226_54316.pdf |url=https://www.nso.go.th/nsoweb/storage/title_presentation/2023/20230512163226_54316.pdf |access-date=2 January 2024 |website=National Statistical Office |page=12 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101181315/https://www.nso.go.th/nsoweb/storage/title_presentation/2023/20230512163226_54316.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Thailand's government-sponsored family planning programme resulted in a dramatic decline in population growth from 3.1% in 1960 to around 0.4% today. In 1970, an average of 5.7 people lived in a Thai household; in 2022, the average Thai household size was 3 people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Average Household Size in Thailand |url=https://hub.arcgis.com/maps/esri::average-household-size-in-thailand/about |website=hub.arcgis.com |access-date=14 December 2023 |archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214160537/https://hub.arcgis.com/maps/esri::average-household-size-in-thailand/about |url-status=live }}</ref> Now, more than 20% of its population is aged over 60 and has a low birth rate, posing economic challenges.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Akanksha |title=Thailand's aging population hits consumption and economic growth – Thailand Business News |url=https://www.thailand-business-news.com/economics/142662-thailands-aging-population-hits-consumption-and-economic-growth |access-date=24 July 2024 |work=www.thailand-business-news.com |date=3 June 2024}}</ref> The [[sex ratio]] between male and female is 1.05, with Thailand having slightly more males.<ref>{{Citation |title=Thailand |date=2024-10-15 |work=The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/thailand/#:~:text=Age%20structure,comparison%20ranking:%20189 |access-date=2024-10-22 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en}}</ref>

=== Ethnic groups ===
{{Further|Ethnic groups in Thailand}}
[[File:Thailand (272021437).jpg|thumb|Hill tribes girls in the Northeast of Thailand]]
As of 2010, Thai people make up the majority of Thailand's population (95.9%). The remaining 4.1% of the population are Burmese (2.0%), others (1.3%), and unspecified (0.9%).<ref name="CIA" />

According to genetic research, the present-day Thai people were divided into three groups: the northern group (Khon Mueang) are closely related to the [[Tai people|Tai]] ethnic groups in [[southern China]], the northeastern group ([[Isan people]]) are mixed Tai and several [[Austroasiatic]]-speaking ethnic groups, while the central and southern groups (formerly called Siamese) strongly share genetic profiles with the [[Mon people]].<ref name=genetic/><ref name=genetic2>{{cite journal|url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/063172v1.full|title=Complete mitochondrial genomes of Thai and Lao populations indicate an ancient origin of Austroasiatic groups and demic diffusion in the spread of Tai-Kadai languages|doi=10.1007/s00439-016-1742-y|journal=Human Genetics|author1=Wibhu Kutanan |author2=Jatupol Kampuansai |author3=Metawee Srikummool |author4=Daoroong Kangwanpong |author5=Silvia Ghirotto |author6=Andrea Brunelli |author7=Mark Stoneking|year=2016|volume=136 |issue=1 |pages=85–98 |pmid=27837350 |pmc=5214972 |archivedate=18 January 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118183802/https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/063172v1.full|hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-002C-0639-D|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name=genetic3>{{cite journal|url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/162610v1.full|title=New insights from Thailand into the maternal genetic history of Mainland Southeast Asia|doi=10.1038/s41431-018-0113-7|year=2017|accessdate=19 January 2024|author1=Wibhu Kutanan |author2=Jatupol Kampuansai |author3=Andrea Brunelli |author4=Silvia Ghirotto |author5=Pittayawat Pittayaporn |author6=Sukhum Ruangchai |author7=Roland Schröder |author8=Enrico Macholdt |author9=Metawee Srikummool |author10=Daoroong Kangwanpong |author11=Alexander Hübner |author12=Leonardo Arias Alvis |author13=Mark Stoneking|journal=European Journal of Human Genetics|volume=26 |issue=6 |pages=898–911 |pmid=29483671 |pmc=5974021 |archivedate=18 January 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118231746/https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/162610v1.full|hdl=21.11116/0000-0001-7EEF-6|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

According to the Royal Thai Government's 2011 Country Report to the UN Committee responsible for the [[International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination|International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination]], available from the Department of Rights and Liberties Promotion of the Thai Ministry of Justice,{{RP|3}} 62 ethnic communities are officially recognised in Thailand. Twenty million Central Thai (together with approximately 650,000 [[Khorat Thai]]) made up approximately 20,650,000 (34.1 per cent) of the state's population of 60,544,937<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population total – Thailand |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=TH |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013071134/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=TH |archive-date=13 October 2016 |access-date=12 October 2016 |publisher=World Bank Group}}</ref> at the time of completion of the Mahidol University ''Ethnolinguistic Maps of Thailand'' data (1997).<ref name="Ethnolinguistic 2004">{{Cite book |url=http://www.newmandala.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Thailand-Ethnolinguistic-Maps.pdf |title=Ethnolinguistic Maps of Thailand |date=2004 |publisher=Office of the National Culture Commission |language=th |access-date=8 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009124208/http://www.newmandala.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Thailand-Ethnolinguistic-Maps.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The 2011 Thailand Country Report provides population numbers for mountain peoples ('hill tribes') and ethnic communities in the Northeast and is explicit about its main reliance on the Mahidol University Ethnolinguistic Maps of Thailand data.<ref name="Ethnolinguistic 2004" /> Thus, though over 3.288 million people in the Northeast alone could not be categorised, the population and percentages of other ethnic communities {{circa|1997}} are known for all of Thailand and constitute minimum populations. In descending order, the largest (equal to or greater than 400,000) are a) 15,080,000 Lao (24.9 per cent) consisting of the Thai Lao (14 million) and other smaller Lao groups, namely the Thai Loei (400–500,000), Lao Lom (350,000), Lao Wiang/Klang (200,000), Lao Khrang (90,000), Lao Ngaew (30,000), and Lao Ti (10,000); b) six million Khon Muang (9.9 per cent, also called Northern Thais); c) 4.5 million Pak Tai (7.5 per cent, also called Southern Thais); d) 1.4 million Khmer Leu (2.3 per cent, also called Northern Khmer); e) 900,000 Malay (1.5%); f) 500,000 Nyaw (0.8 per cent); g) 470,000 Phu Thai (0.8 per cent); h) 400,000 Kuy/Kuay (also known as Suay) (0.7 per cent), and i) 350,000 Karen (0.6 per cent).{{RP|7–13}} [[Thai Chinese]], including those of significant Chinese origins, are 14% of the population, while Thais with partial Chinese ancestry comprise up to 40% of the population.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Luangthongkum |first=Theraphan |author-link=Theraphan Luangthongkum |year=2007 |title=The Position of Non-Thai Languages in Thailand |journal=Language, Nation and Development in Southeast Asia |page=191}}</ref> [[Thai Malays]] also represent 3% of the Thai population's heritage, with the remainder consisting of [[Mon people|Mons]], [[Khmers]], and various "[[Hill tribe (Thailand)|hill tribes]]".{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Increasing numbers of migrants from neighbouring Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, as well as from Nepal and India, have pushed the total number of non-national residents to around 3.5 million {{As of|2009|lc=y}}, up from an estimated 2 million in 2008.<ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84844 Thailand: Burmese migrant children missing out on education]. IRIN Asia. 15 June 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227185950/http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84844 |date=27 February 2012 }}</ref> Some 41,000 [[British people|Britons]] and 20,000 [[Australians]] live in Thailand.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McGeown |first=Kate |date=14 December 2006 |title=Hard lessons in expat paradise |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6176647.stm |url-status=live |access-date=1 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813164737/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6176647.stm |archive-date=13 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=3 July 2008 |title=Speech to the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce |url=http://foreignminister.gov.au/speeches/2008/080704_bangkok.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612030327/https://foreignminister.gov.au/speeches/2008/080704_bangkok.html |archive-date=12 June 2019 |access-date=12 November 2019 |website=Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade}}</ref>

=== Population centres ===
{{Further|List of cities in Thailand}}
{{Largest cities
| country      = Thailand
| kind        = municipalities
| stat_ref     = {{cite web |url=https://stat.bora.dopa.go.th/new_stat/file/63/stat_a63.txt |title=รายงานสถิติจำนวนประชากรและบ้านประจำปี พ.ศ.2563}}
| div_name     = Province

| city_1 = Bangkok{{!}}Bangkok | div_1 = Bangkok | pop_1 = 5,588,222 | img_1 = View from Baiyoke Sky Hotel, Bangkok (7053110333) cropped.jpg
| city_2 = Nonthaburi (city){{!}}Nonthaburi City | div_2 = Nonthaburi Province{{!}}Nonthaburi | pop_2 = 251,026 | img_2 = Nonthaburi - Bangbuathong.jpg
| city_3 = Pak Kret{{!}}Pak Kret City | div_3 = Nonthaburi Province{{!}}Nonthaburi | pop_3 = 189,458 | img_3 = Sunset at pakkred - panoramio.jpg
| city_4 = Hat Yai{{!}}Hat Yai City | div_4 = Songkhla Province{{!}}Songkhla | pop_4 = 149,459 | img_4 = Hat-Yai city view.JPG
| city_5 = Chaophraya Surasak{{!}}Chaophraya Surasak City | div_5 = Chonburi Province{{!}}Chonburi | pop_5 = 146,474
| city_6 = Surat Thani{{!}}Surat Thani City | div_6 = Surat Thani Province{{!}}Surat Thani | pop_6 = 131,599
| city_7 = Nakhon Ratchasima{{!}}Nakhon Ratchasima City | div_7 = Nakhon Ratchasima Province{{!}}Nakhon Ratchasima |pop_7 = 122,730
| city_8 = Chiang Mai{{!}}Chiang Mai City | div_8 = Chiang Mai Province{{!}}Chiang Mai | pop_8= 122,627
| city_9 = Udon Thani{{!}}Udon Thani City | div_9 = Udon Thani Province{{!}}Udon Thani | pop_9 = 120,202
| city_10 = Pattaya{{!}}Pattaya City | div_10 = Chonburi Province{{!}}Chonburi | pop_10 = 117,606
| city_11 = Khon Kaen{{!}}Khon Kaen City | div_11 = Khon Kaen Province{{!}}Khon Kaen | pop_11 = 110,615
| city_12 = Nakhon Si Thammarat{{!}}Nakhon Si Thammarat City | div_12 = Nakhon Si Thammarat Province{{!}}Nakhon Si Thammarat | pop_12 = 100,416
| city_13 = Laem Chabang{{!}}Laem Chabang City | div_13 = Chonburi Province{{!}}Chonburi | pop_13 = 89,457
| city_14 = Rangsit, Thailand{{!}}Rangsit City | div_14 = Pathum Thani Province{{!}}Pathum Thani | pop_14 = 84,268
| city_15 = Nakhon Sawan{{!}}Nakhon Sawan City | div_15 = Nakhon Sawan Province{{!}}Nakhon Sawan | pop_15 = 81,239
| city_16 = Phuket city{{!}}Phuket City | div_16 = Phuket Province{{!}}Phuket | pop_16 = 77,778
| city_17 = Chiang Rai (city){{!}}Chiang Rai City | div_17 = Chiang Rai Province{{!}}Chiang Rai | pop_17 = 77,545
| city_18 = Ubon Ratchathani{{!}}Ubon Ratchathani City | div_18 = Ubon Ratchathani Province{{!}}Ubon Ratchathani | pop_18 = 72,855
| city_19 = Nakhon Pathom{{!}}Nakhon Pathom City | div_19 = Nakhon Pathom Province{{!}}Nakhon Pathom | pop_19 = 72,753
| city_20 = Ko Samui{{!}}Ko Samui City | div_20 = Surat Thani Province{{!}}Surat Thani | pop_20 = 68,994
}}{{Largest cities
| country      = Thailand
| kind        = cities by urban population
| stat_ref     = {{URL|https://onedptgis.dpt.go.th/onedpt-complain-ppl/ }}
{{URL|https://www.bora.dopa.go.th}}
| div_name     = Province

| city_1 = Bangkok {{!}}Bangkok | div_1 = Bangkok | pop_1 = 10,539,000 | img_1 = 4Y1A1150 Bangkok (33536339665).jpg
| city_2 = Chiang Mai{{!}}Chiang Mai | div_2 = Chiang Mai Province{{!}}Chiang Mai | pop_2 = 1,198,000 | img_2 = Panoramic view of Chiang Mai City.jpg
| city_3 = Nakhon Ratchasima{{!}}Nakhon Ratchasima | div_3 = Nakhon Ratchasima Province{{!}}Nakhon Ratchasima | pop_3 = 466,098 | img_3 =
| city_4 = Khon Kaen{{!}}Khon Kaen | div_4 = Khon Kaen Province{{!}}Khon Kaen | pop_4 = 412,758 | img_4 = Khon Kaen City from Above.jpg
| city_5 = Hat Yai{{!}}Hat Yai | div_5 = Songkhla Province{{!}}Songhkla | pop_5 = 404,044
| city_6 = Udon Thani{{!}}Udon Thani | div_6 = Udon Thani Province{{!}}Udon Thani | pop_6 = 400,581
| city_7 = Chonburi{{!}}Chonburi | div_7 = Chonburi Province{{!}}Chonburi |pop_7 = 342,959
| city_8 = Pattaya{{!}}Pattaya | div_8 = Chonburi Province{{!}}Chonburi | pop_8= 328,961
| city_9 = Si Racha{{!}}Si Racha | div_9 = Chonburi Province{{!}}Chonburi | pop_9 = 327,172
| city_10 = Phitsanulok{{!}}Phitsanulok | div_10 = Phitsanulok Province{{!}}Phitsanulok | pop_10 = 281,929
}}

=== Language ===
{{Main|Languages of Thailand}}
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2/1
| total_width       = 300
| caption_align     = center
| align             = left
| image1            = Thailand ethnic map.svg
| caption1          = An ethnolinguistic map of Thailand
| image2            = Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (008).jpg
| caption2          = The Silajaruek of [[Sukhothai Kingdom]] are hundreds of stone inscriptions that form a historical record of the period.
}}

[[Thai language|Thai]] is the official language. It is a [[Kra–Dai language]] closely related to [[Lao language|Lao]], [[Shan language|Shan]] in Myanmar, and numerous smaller languages spoken in an arc from [[Hainan]] and [[Yunnan]] south to the Chinese border. It is the principal language of education and government and spoken throughout the country.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Lewis |first=M. Paul |url=https://archive.org/details/ethnologuelangua0000unse_k9t5 |title=Ethnologue : languages of the world |publisher=SIL International |year=2009 |edition=16th |location=Dallas, Texas |pages=529–533, 829–831|isbn=978-1-55671-216-6 }}</ref> The standard is based on the dialect of the central Thai people, and it is written in the [[Thai alphabet]], an [[abugida]] script that evolved from the [[Khmer alphabet]].<ref name="hartmann">{{citation |last1=Hartmann |first1=John F. |title=The spread of South Indic scripts in Southeast Asia |year=1986 |page=8}}</ref> 

Sixty-two languages were recognised by the Royal Thai Government.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 October 2011 |title=CERD/C/THA/1-3 |url=https://www.rlpd.go.th/rlpdnew/images/rlpd_1/HRC/CERD%201_3.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009184727/http://www.rlpd.go.th/rlpdnew/images/rlpd_1/HRC/CERD%201_3.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2016 |access-date=13 April 2024}}</ref> For the purposes of the national census, four dialects of Thai exist; these partly coincide with regional designations, such as [[Southern Thai language|Southern Thai]] and [[Northern Thai language|Northern Thai]].<ref name=":1" />

The largest of Thailand's minority languages is the [[Lao language|Lao]] dialect of [[Isan language|Isan]] spoken in the northeastern provinces. In the far south, [[Kelantan-Pattani Malay]] is the primary language of Malay Muslims. Varieties of Chinese are also spoken by the large [[Thai Chinese]] population, with the [[Teochew dialect]] best-represented. Numerous tribal languages are also spoken, including many [[Austroasiatic languages]] such as [[Mon language|Mon]], [[Khmer language|Khmer]], and [[Mlabri language|Mlabri]]; [[Austronesian languages]] such as [[Cham language|Cham]], [[Moken language|Moken]] and [[Urak Lawoi' language|Urak Lawoi']]; [[Sino-Tibetan languages]] like [[Lawa language|Lawa]], [[Akha language|Akha]], and [[Karen languages|Karen]]; and other [[Tai languages]] such as [[Phu Thai language|Phu Thai]], and [[Saek language|Saek]]. [[Hmong language|Hmong]] is a member of the [[Hmong–Mien languages]], which is now regarded as a language family of its own.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thailand {{!}} Ethnologue Free |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/TH/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Ethnologue (Free All) |archive-date=9 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309065755/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/TH/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1" />

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Thailand}}

{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Thailand (2018)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Population by religion, region and area, 2018 |url=http://statbbi.nso.go.th/nso/nso_center/project/table/files/S-soc-health/2561/000/00_S-soc-health_2561_000_000000_00100.xls |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424172255/http://statbbi.nso.go.th/nso/nso_center/project/table/files/S-soc-health/2561/000/00_S-soc-health_2561_000_000000_00100.xls |archive-date=24 April 2021 |access-date=9 March 2021 |publisher=NSO}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Buddhism in Thailand|Buddhism]]
|value1 =93.46
|color1 = orange
|label2 = [[Islam in Thailand|Islam]]
|value2 =5.37
|color2 = green
|label3 = [[Christianity in Thailand|Christianity]]
|value3 = 1.13
|color3 = red
|label4 = [[Religion in Thailand|Other]]
|value4 = 0.04
|color4 = black
}}

The country's most prevalent religion is [[Theravada]] Buddhism, which is an integral part of Thai identity and culture. Active participation in Buddhism is among the highest in the world. Thailand has the second-largest number of [[Buddhist]]s in the world after China.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 2012 |title=The Global Religious Landscape |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140828202350/http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/ |archive-date=28 August 2014 |access-date=5 November 2018 |publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref> According to the 2018 [[National Statistical Office (Thailand)|National Statistical Office]] data, 93.46% of the country's population self-identified as Buddhists.<ref name=":0"/>

[[File:Phutthamonthon Buddha.JPG|thumb|''[[Samanera]]'' of [[Theravada]] Buddhism, the most practised religion in Thailand]]

[[Islam in Thailand|Muslims]] constitute the second largest religious group in Thailand, comprising 5.37% of the population in 2018.<ref name=":0" /> Islam is concentrated mostly in the country's southernmost provinces: [[Pattani Province|Pattani]], [[Yala Province|Yala]], [[Satun Province|Satun]], [[Narathiwat Province|Narathiwat]], and part of [[Songkhla Province|Songkhla]], which are predominantly [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]], most of whom are [[Sunni Muslim]]s. Christians represented 1.13% of the population in 2018, with the remaining population consisting of [[Hinduism in Thailand|Hindus]] and [[Sikhism in Thailand|Sikhs]], who live mostly in the country's cities. There is also a small [[Jews and Judaism in Thailand|Jewish community in Thailand]] dating back to the 17th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gerson |first1=Ruth |title=Jews in Thailand |last2=Mallinger |first2=Stephen Mark |date=2011 |publisher=River Books |isbn=978-616-90895-0-6 |location=Bangkok}}</ref>

The constitution does not name an official state religion, and provides for freedom of religion. There have been no widespread reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice.<ref>United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. [https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90155.htm Thailand: International Religious Freedom Report 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110084721/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90155.htm |date=10 November 2019 }}. The article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].</ref> Thai law officially recognises five religious groups: Buddhists, Muslims, Brahmin-Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians.<ref>{{Cite news |title=2018 Report on International Religious Freedom: Thailand |work=US Department of State |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/thailand/ |url-status=live |access-date=28 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208143016/https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/thailand/ |archive-date=8 December 2022}}</ref> However, some laws are inspired from Buddhist practices, such as banning alcohol sales on religious holidays.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 February 2020 |title=No alcohol sales today – Makha Bucha Day|work=Thaiger |url=https://thethaiger.com/news/national/no-alcohol-sales-today-makha-bucha-day-february-7-2020 |access-date=31 July 2021 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328151332/https://thethaiger.com/news/national/no-alcohol-sales-today-makha-bucha-day-february-7-2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Thailand}}
[[File:Chulalongkorn University Auditorium.jpg|thumb|[[Chulalongkorn University]], established in 1917, is the oldest university in Thailand.]]

In 1995, as minister of education, [[Sukavich Rangsitpol]]laid let out his plans for educational reform in Thailand.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Education Reform at the Ministry of Education Thailand |url=https://elibrary.ksp.or.th/doc_num.php?explnum_id=4954 |access-date=8 October 2023 |website=elibrary.ksp.or.th |archive-date=27 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927003957/https://elibrary.ksp.or.th/doc_num.php?explnum_id=4954 |url-status=live }}</ref> The reform was considered a landmark movement after nearly 100 years of education under the previous system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Thailand Educational Reform Project |url=https://backoffice.onec.go.th/uploaded/Category/EngBook/SchoolReformPolicy-04-03-2011.pdf |access-date=8 October 2023 |website=backoffice.onec.go.th |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107091802/https://backoffice.onec.go.th/uploaded/Category/EngBook/SchoolReformPolicy-04-03-2011.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Thailand's youth literacy rate was 98.1% in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thailand-Youth literacy rate |url=https://knoema.com/atlas/Thailand/topics/Education/Literacy/Youth-literacy-rate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304210909/https://knoema.com/atlas/Thailand/topics/Education/Literacy/Youth-literacy-rate |archive-date=4 March 2021 |access-date=13 May 2020 |publisher=knoema}}</ref> Education is provided by a school system of kindergartens, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary schools, numerous vocational colleges, and universities. Education is compulsory up to and including age 14, while the government is mandated to provide free education through to age 17. Issues concerning university entrance have been in constant upheaval for a number of years. The country is also one of the few that still mandates uniform up to the university years, which is still a subject of ongoing debate.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Boonyatus |first1=Jeerapa |title=Voices of students on school rules and uniforms |url=https://www.thaipbsworld.com/voices-of-students-on-school-rules-and-uniforms/ |work=Thai PBS World |date=28 June 2023}}</ref>

In 2013, the [[Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (Thailand)|Ministry of Information and Communication Technology]] announced that 27,231 schools would receive classroom-level access to [[internet|high-speed internet]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 March 2013 |title=Thailand Provides 27,231 Schools With Internet |work=Software Development &#124; Marketing &#124; Consulting &#124; เพิ่มพูนผลกำไร |url=http://www.inceva.co.th/2013/03/thailand-provides-27231-schools-internet |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716224136/http://www.inceva.co.th/2013/03/thailand-provides-27231-schools-internet/ |archive-date=16 July 2014 |access-date=30 January 2015}}</ref> However, the country's educational infrastructure was still underprepared for online teaching, as smaller and more remote schools were particularly hindered by COVID-19 restrictions.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Covid hinders education again |work=Bangkok Post |date=4 January 2021 |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2045015/covid-hinders-education-again |access-date=10 August 2021 |last1=Mala |first1=Dumrongkiat }}</ref>

The number of higher education institutions in Thailand has grown over the past decades to 156 officially. The two top-ranking universities in Thailand are [[Chulalongkorn University]] and [[Mahidol University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=University Ranking |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226033634/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2020 |archive-date=26 December 2020 |access-date=13 May 2020 |publisher=topuniversities}}</ref> Thai universities' research output is still relatively low, even though the country's journal publications increased by 20% between 2011 and 2016.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Buasuwan |first=Prompilai |year=2018 |title=Rethinking Thai higher education for Thailand 4.0 |journal=Asian Education and Development Studies |publisher=emerald |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=157–173 |doi=10.1108/AEDS-07-2017-0072 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Thailand has the second highest number of English-medium private international schools in [[ASEAN|Southeast Asian Nations]].<ref name="WENR 2018" /> [[Cram school]]s are especially popular for university entrance exams.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Charassangsomboon |first1=Varissara |title=Exclusive: Thailand's plan to fight inequality in education |url=https://govinsider.asia/intl-en/article/exclusive-thailand-education-inequality-teerakiat-jareonsettasin |access-date=3 June 2024 |work=GovInsider |date=17 September 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

Students in ethnic minority areas score consistently lower in standardised national and international tests.<ref name="Draper 2012">{{Citation |last=Draper |first=John |title=Revisiting English in Thailand |url=http://asian-efl-journal.com/quarterly-journal/2012/12/01/revisiting-english-in-thailand/ |work=Asian EFL Journal |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=9–38 |year=2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312225048/http://asian-efl-journal.com/quarterly-journal/2012/12/01/revisiting-english-in-thailand/ |url-status=live |issn=1738-1460 |archive-date=12 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=OECD |title=Structural Policy Country Notes: Thailand |url=http://www.oecd.org/dev/asia-pacific/Thailand.pdf |year=2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224513/http://www.oecd.org/dev/asia-pacific/Thailand.pdf |url-status=live |publisher=OECD |archive-date=12 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Khaopa |first=Wannapa |date=12 December 2012 |title=Thai students drop in world maths and science study |work=The Nation |url=https://www.nationthailand.com/detail/national/30195966 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224452/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Thai-students-drop-in-world-maths-and-science-stud-30195966.html |archive-date=12 March 2014}}</ref> This is likely due to unequal allocation of educational resources, weak teacher training, poverty, and low Thai language skill, the language of the tests.<ref name="Draper 2012" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Draper |first=John |date=12 December 2011 |title=Solving Isaan's education problem |publisher=The Isaan Record |url=http://isaanrecord.com/2011/12/12/op-ed-solving-isaans-education-problem |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226030123/http://isaanrecord.com/2011/12/12/op-ed-solving-isaans-education-problem/ |archive-date=26 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Draper |first=John |date=21 February 2014 |title=PISA Thailand regional breakdown shows inequalities between Bangkok and Upper North with the rest of Thailand |publisher=The Isaan Record |url=http://isaanrecord.com/2014/02/21/pisa-thailand-regional-breakdown-shows-inequalities-between-bangkok-and-upper-north-with-the-rest-of-thailand |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312225108/http://isaanrecord.com/2014/02/21/pisa-thailand-regional-breakdown-shows-inequalities-between-bangkok-and-upper-north-with-the-rest-of-thailand/ |archive-date=12 March 2014}}</ref> {{As of|2020}}, Thailand was ranked 89th out of 100 countries globally for English proficiency.<ref>{{Cite news |title=English skills drop again |work=Bangkok Post |date=27 November 2020 |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2026031/english-skills-drop-again |access-date=10 August 2021}}</ref> Thailand is the third most popular study destination in ASEAN. The number of international degree students in Thailand increased by 9.7 times between 1999 and 2012, from 1,882 to 20,309 students. Most of international students come from neighbor countries<ref name="WENR 2018">{{Cite web |date=6 February 2018 |title=Education in Thailand |url=https://wenr.wes.org/2018/02/education-in-thailand-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919062516/https://wenr.wes.org/2018/02/education-in-thailand-2 |archive-date=19 September 2020 |access-date=13 May 2020 |publisher=WENR}}</ref> like China, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite web |title=สถิติอุดมศึกษา Higher Education Statistics 2558–2560 |url=http://www.mua.go.th/assets/img/pdf/61.10.26_%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%96%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%B6%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2%202558-2560_V4.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025160558/http://www.mua.go.th/assets/img/pdf/61.10.26_%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%96%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%B6%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2%202558-2560_V4.pdf |archive-date=25 October 2021 |access-date=13 May 2020 |publisher=Office of The higher Education Commission}}</ref>

=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in Thailand|Healthcare in Thailand|Hospitals in Thailand}}
[[File:Siriraj Hospital,Bangkok.jpg|thumb|[[Siriraj Hospital]] in Bangkok, the oldest and largest hospital in Thailand]]
Thailand ranks world's sixth, and Asia's first in the 2019 [[Global Health Security Index]] of global health security capabilities in 195 countries,<ref>{{Cite web |title=2019 Global Health Security Index |url=https://www.ghsindex.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803202057/https://www.ghsindex.org/ |archive-date=3 August 2020 |access-date=15 May 2020 |publisher=GHS INDEX}}</ref> making it the only [[developing country]] on the world's top ten. Thailand had 62 hospitals accredited by [[Joint Commission|Joint Commission International]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Search for JCI-Accredited Organizations |url=https://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/en/about-jci/accredited-organizations/#f:_Facet_Country= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001181625/https://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/en/about-jci/accredited-organizations/#f:_Facet_Country= |archive-date=1 October 2020 |access-date=15 May 2020 |publisher=JCI}}</ref> In 2002, [[Bumrungrad International Hospital|Bumrungrad]] became the first hospital in Asia to meet the standard.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Finch |first=Steve |date=2014-01-07 |title=Thailand top destination for medical tourists |journal=Canadian Medical Association Journal |language=en |volume=186 |issue=1 |pages=E1–E2 |doi=10.1503/cmaj.109-4655 |pmc=3883860 |pmid=24246587}}</ref>

Health and medical care is overseen by the [[Ministry of Public Health (Thailand)|Ministry of Public Health]] (MOPH), with total national expenditures on health amounting to 4.3 per cent of GDP in 2009. [[Non-communicable disease]]s form the major burden of morbidity and mortality, while infectious diseases including malaria<ref>{{Cite journal |date=20 November 2023 |others=Design and layout by Claude Cardot, cover design by Lushomo |title=World malaria report 2023 |url=https://www.who.int/teams/global-malaria-programme/reports/world-malaria-report-2023 |journal=World Health Organization |pages=22–23, 85 |isbn=978-92-4-008617-3}}</ref> and tuberculosis,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mingchay |first1=Pichanon |last2=Paitoonpong |first2=Leilani |last3=Kawkitinarong |first3=Kamon |last4=Ohata |first4=Pirapon June |last5=Suwanpimolkul |first5=Gompol |date=2024-08-20 |title=Tuberculosis at a university hospital, Thailand: A surprising incidence of TB among a new generation of highly exposed health care workers who may be asymptomatic |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=17 |issue=8 |pages=e0273027 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0273027 |doi-access=free |pmc=9401166 |pmid=36001595}}</ref> as well as traffic accidents, are also important public health issues.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-06 |title=14,737 lives lost on Thai roads in 2022 |url=https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40023780 |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=nationthailand |language=en-US}}</ref>

In December 2018, the interim parliament voted to legalise the use of [[cannabis]] for medical reasons, making Thailand the first Southeast Asian country to allow the use of [[medical cannabis]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Olam |first1=Kocha |last2=Goldschmidt |first2=Debra |date=25 December 2018 |title=Thailand approves medical marijuana |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/25/health/thailand-medical-marijuana-bn/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226030858/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/25/health/thailand-medical-marijuana-bn/index.html |archive-date=26 December 2018 |access-date=26 December 2018 |publisher=CNN}}</ref>