Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Thailand
Thailand: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 9.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Thailand, 1981–2024
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Thailand is 9.6%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and down 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Thailand peaked at 17.7% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 2023.
Thailand ranks 82nd of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Thailand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 17.7% | — |
| 1988 | 14.0% | -20.7% |
| 1990 | 11.4% | -18.6% |
| 1992 | 13.6% | +19.0% |
| 1994 | 12.1% | -11.1% |
| 1996 | 12.2% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 12.2% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 13.4% | +10.2% |
| 2000 | 12.2% | -8.9% |
| 2002 | 12.9% | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 13.7% | +6.5% |
| 2006 | 15.0% | +9.5% |
| 2007 | 13.1% | -13.0% |
| 2008 | 13.6% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 13.3% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 12.4% | -7.4% |
| 2011 | 10.4% | -15.6% |
| 2012 | 12.8% | +22.4% |
| 2013 | 11.8% | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 11.3% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 10.0% | -11.6% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 11.0% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 11.3% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 9.6% | -15.1% |
| 2020 | 10.6% | +10.0% |
| 2021 | 10.0% | -5.9% |
| 2022 | 10.3% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 9.4% | -8.5% |
| 2024 | 9.6% | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 15.9% | 14.0% | 17.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.5% | 11.4% | 13.6% | 6 |
| 2000s | 13.4% | 12.2% | 15.0% | 7 |
| 2010s | 11.1% | 9.6% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.0% | 9.4% | 10.6% | 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 relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Thailand?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Thailand was 9.6% in 2024, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 17.7% in 1981.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 2023.
- How does Thailand rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Thailand ranks 82nd out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. 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
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.