Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Thailand
Thailand: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 56.85 million people in 2024. ▲ Rising
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Thailand, 1981–2024
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of population between different poverty lines in Thailand is 56.85 million people, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Thailand peaked at 58.66 million people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 7.32 million people, in 1981.
That places Thailand 15th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Thailand, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 7.32 million people | — |
| 1988 | 8.52 million people | +16.4% |
| 1990 | 10.84 million people | +27.3% |
| 1992 | 14.51 million people | +33.8% |
| 1994 | 16.78 million people | +15.7% |
| 1996 | 19.57 million people | +16.6% |
| 1998 | 21.21 million people | +8.3% |
| 1999 | 19.18 million people | -9.6% |
| 2000 | 19.42 million people | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 23.79 million people | +22.5% |
| 2004 | 28.13 million people | +18.3% |
| 2006 | 33.67 million people | +19.7% |
| 2007 | 34.86 million people | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 36.88 million people | +5.8% |
| 2009 | 39.08 million people | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 40.70 million people | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 43.42 million people | +6.7% |
| 2012 | 44.78 million people | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 46.76 million people | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 48.04 million people | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 51.24 million people | +6.7% |
| 2016 | 50.77 million people | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 51.67 million people | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 51.13 million people | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 52.93 million people | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 53.82 million people | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 54.62 million people | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 58.66 million people | +7.4% |
| 2023 | 58.25 million people | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 56.85 million people | -2.4% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 56.85 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8.77 million people, 6.5× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 56.85 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 51.36 million people, 1.1× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Thailand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +33.8% | 10.84 million people | 14.51 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.92 million people | 7.32 million people | 8.52 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 17.01 million people | 10.84 million people | 21.21 million people | 6 |
| 2000s | 30.83 million people | 19.42 million people | 39.08 million people | 7 |
| 2010s | 48.14 million people | 40.70 million people | 52.93 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.44 million people | 53.82 million people | 58.66 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More poverty & inequality data for Thailand
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 9 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.21 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,072 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 17.04 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 17.0% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines in Thailand?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Thailand was 56.85 million people in 2024, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 58.66 million people in 2022.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.32 million people in 1981.
- How does Thailand rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Thailand ranks 15th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Thailand data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $10 per day.