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Thailand Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Kingdom of Thailand
Capital Bangkok
Area 513,115 sq km
198,115 sq mi
Thailand: Flag and Anthem
Thailand: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 65,068,149 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 0.66 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 70,523,958 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 69,268,817 (2007 estimate)
Population density 127 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)
329 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 32 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 68 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Bangkok 6,320,174 (2000)
Nonthaburi 291,307 (2000)
Songkhla 288,000 (1998 estimate)
Nakhon Ratchasima 204,391 (2000)
Chiang Mai 167,776 (2000)
Ethnic groups
Thai 75 percent
Chinese 14 percent
Malay 3 percent
Khmer, Hmong, Karen, and other 8 percent
Languages
Thai (official), English, Chinese, Malay, Lao, and Mon-Khmer
Religious affiliations
Buddhist (Theravada) 85 percent
Muslim 7 percent
Christian 2 percent
Nonreligious 2 percent
Other 4 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 72.5 years (2007 estimate)
Female 75 years (2007 estimate)
Male 70.2 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 19 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)
Population per physician 3,324 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 455 people (1999)
Literacy rate
Total 96.4 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 95.1 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 97.7 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 5.5 percent (2000-2001)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 9 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 21 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Constitutional monarchy
Head of state King
Head of government Prime minister
Legislature Bicameral legislature
House of Representatives: 480 members
Senate: 150 members
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18 and older
Constitution August 2007, approved by referendum
Highest court Supreme Court
Armed forces Army, Navy, Air Force
Total number of military personnel 306,600 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 1.3 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions 76 provinces
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $176.6 billion (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $2,749.90 (2005)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 9.9 percent (2005)
Industry 44.1 percent (2005)
Services 46 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 35,724,939 (2005)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 43 percent (2005)
Industry 20 percent (2005)
Services 37 percent (2005)
Unemployment rate 1.5 percent (2004)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $28,737 million (2005)
Total expenditure $37,022 million (2005)
Monetary unit 1 baht (B), consisting of 100 satangs
Agriculture
Rice, cassava, rubber, sugarcane, maize, pineapples, coconuts, kenaf, livestock
Mining
Natural gas, lignite, gemstones, zinc, lead, tin, gypsum, iron ore, manganese
Manufacturing
Textiles and garments, electronics and electrical goods, cement, refined sugar, refined petroleum, motor vehicles, cigarettes
Major exports
Textiles and garments, electronic goods (especially semiconductors), prawns, rice, rubber, precious gems, cassava, sugar
Major imports
Petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, chemicals, iron and steel
Major trade partners for exports
United States, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, and China
Major trade partners for imports
Japan, United States, China, Malaysia, and Singapore
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 91.51 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 6.31 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 2.18 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 234 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 110 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 281 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 16 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 65 (1996)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 104 (1997)
Paved road as a share of total roads 99 percent (2000)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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