Share of population living below national poverty lines in Thailand
Thailand: Share of population living below national poverty lines was 5.4% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Thailand, 1988–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Thailand recorded 5.4% for share of population living below national poverty lines in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.3% on the previous year and down 57.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living below national poverty lines in Thailand peaked at 65.2% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2022.
That places Thailand 65th out of 70 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Thailand, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 65.2% | — |
| 1990 | 58.0% | -11.0% |
| 1992 | 50.0% | -13.8% |
| 1994 | 42.5% | -15.0% |
| 1996 | 35.4% | -16.7% |
| 1998 | 38.6% | +9.0% |
| 2000 | 42.3% | +9.6% |
| 2002 | 32.4% | -23.4% |
| 2004 | 26.8% | -17.3% |
| 2006 | 21.9% | -18.3% |
| 2007 | 20.0% | -8.7% |
| 2008 | 20.4% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 17.9% | -12.3% |
| 2010 | 16.4% | -8.4% |
| 2011 | 13.2% | -19.5% |
| 2012 | 12.6% | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 10.9% | -13.5% |
| 2014 | 10.5% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 7.2% | -31.4% |
| 2016 | 8.6% | +19.4% |
| 2017 | 7.9% | -8.1% |
| 2018 | 9.9% | +25.3% |
| 2019 | 6.2% | -37.4% |
| 2020 | 6.8% | +9.7% |
| 2021 | 6.3% | -7.4% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | -14.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 65.2% | 65.2% | 65.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 44.9% | 35.4% | 58.0% | 5 |
| 2000s | 26.0% | 17.9% | 42.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 10.3% | 6.2% | 16.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.2% | 5.4% | 6.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
- 62 Chile 6.5% compare
- 63 Azerbaijan 6.0% compare
- 64 Uzbekistan 5.8% compare
- 66 Kazakhstan 5.0% compare
- 67 Viet Nam 4.2% compare
- 68 Morocco 3.9% compare
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 share of population living below national poverty lines in Thailand?
- Share of population living below national poverty lines in Thailand was 5.4% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 65.2% in 1988.
- What is the lowest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2022.
- How does Thailand rank for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Thailand ranks 65th out of 70 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of population living below national poverty lines rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Thailand data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living below national poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.