Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Thailand: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MBB, ranked #45 of 195).
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy in Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma. The country's capital is Bangkok; it covers 513,120 sq km. Independence: 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized). Terrain: central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere. Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid. Population: 70.0 million (2025 estimate). Population growth: +0.13% per year. Median age: 41.9 years. Life expectancy: 78.2 years (2024 est.). Languages: Thai (official) only 90.7%, Thai and other …
| Capital | Bangkok |
|---|---|
| Population | 70,025,248 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $1.558 trillion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $21,700 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 2.5% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 1.4% |
| Unemployment | 0.7% |
| Public debt | 61.1% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Exports | $369.191 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $351.419 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 78.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 41.9 |
| Urbanization | 53.6% of total population (2023) |
| Government | constitutional monarchy |
| Independence | 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized) |
| Languages | Thai (official) only 90.7%, Thai and other languages 6.4%, only other languages 2.9% (includes Malay, Burmese); English is a secondary language among the elite (2010 est.) |
MBB · 58/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Nothing in Jul–Sep 2026 moved the needle. The institutions functioned, the economy ran its course, and the world looked elsewhere.
That is the honest note: a quarter of normalcy, scored as such.
Tin, Natural gas, Tungsten, Tantalum, Timber, Lead, Gypsum.
Anutin Charnvirakul — Prime Minister. King WACHIRALONGKON; also spelled Vajiralongkorn (since 1 December 2016)
Thailand maintains 97 embassies abroad, hosts 80 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to ASEAN Jakarta, UN New York, UN Geneva. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 97 |
|---|---|
| Foreign missions hosted | 80 |
| Multilateral missions | ASEAN Jakarta, UN New York, UN Geneva |
Source: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 (released 2024-02-25), https://globaldiplomacyindex.lowyinstitute.org/; Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions of Thailand', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of_Thailand; '... in Thailand', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_in_Thailand
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 3219 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 105 + 5 heliports (registration prefix HS) |
| Major seaports | Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Pattani, Phuket, Sattahip, Si Racha |
| Railways | 4127 km |
| Pipelines | 2 km condensate, 5,900 km gas, 85 km liquid petroleum gas, 1 km oil, 1,097 km refined products (2013) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | Laem Chabang (8,335,384 TEU, 2021) |
Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) — Chiang Mai; Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) — Bangkok; Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) — Hat Yai; Krabi International Airport (KBV) — Krabi; Mae Fah Luang - Chiang Rai International Airport (CEI) — Chiang Rai; Phuket International Airport (HKT) — Phuket; Samui International Airport (USM) — Na Thon (Ko Samui Island); Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) — Bangkok; U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport (UTP) — Rayong; Udon Thani International Airport (UTH) — Udon Thani.
Showing 10 of 15 major airports.
| LNG import terminals | Map Ta Phut |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | constitutional monarchy |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2026 — general; 2026-02-08; winner: Anutin Charnvirakul (Bhumjaithai Party); Constitutional Court dismissed a challenge to the election's legality on 2026-09-28 Reuters |
| Next election | 2030 — general (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
MBB · 58 Ranked #45 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Thailand.
Historical timeline of Thailand
