Share of population living in urbanized areas in Thailand

Thailand: Share of population living in urbanized areas was 42.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
42.7%
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
162nd
of 202 countries
All-time high
42.7%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urbanized areas in Thailand, 1000–2025

010203040100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Thailand recorded 42.7% for share of population living in urbanized areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urbanized areas in Thailand peaked at 42.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

That places Thailand 162nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025, 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 in urbanized areas in Thailand, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in urbanized areas in Thailand, 1000 to 2025.
Year % Change
1000 0.0%
1100 0.0% +200.0%
1200 0.0% +200.0%
1300 0.0% +200.0%
1400 0.1% +200.0%
1500 0.2% +200.0%
1600 0.5% +200.0%
1700 1.6% +200.0%
1710 1.8% +12.7%
1720 2.0% +9.5%
1730 2.2% +9.5%
1740 2.4% +9.5%
1750 2.7% +9.5%
1760 2.9% +9.5%
1770 3.2% +9.5%
1780 3.5% +9.5%
1790 3.8% +9.5%
1800 4.2% +9.5%
1810 4.6% +9.5%
1820 5.0% +9.5%
1830 5.5% +9.5%
1840 6.0% +9.5%
1850 6.6% +9.5%
1860 7.2% +9.5%
1870 7.9% +9.5%
1880 8.7% +9.5%
1890 9.5% +9.5%
1900 10.4% +9.5%
1910 11.4% +9.5%
1920 12.5% +9.5%
1930 13.7% +9.5%
1940 15.0% +9.5%
1950 16.4% +9.5%
1951 16.7% +2.1%
1952 17.1% +2.0%
1953 17.4% +2.0%
1954 17.8% +2.0%
1955 18.1% +2.0%
1956 18.5% +1.9%
1957 18.8% +1.9%
1958 19.2% +1.9%
1959 19.5% +1.9%
1960 19.8% +1.6%
1961 20.0% +0.6%
1962 20.1% +0.6%
1963 20.2% +0.6%
1964 20.3% +0.6%
1965 20.5% +0.6%
1966 20.6% +0.5%
1967 20.7% +0.5%
1968 20.8% +0.5%
1969 20.9% +0.4%
1970 21.1% +0.9%
1971 21.6% +2.4%
1972 22.1% +2.4%
1973 22.6% +2.4%
1974 23.1% +2.4%
1975 23.7% +2.3%
1976 24.3% +2.5%
1977 24.9% +2.5%
1978 25.5% +2.5%
1979 26.1% +2.5%
1980 26.7% +2.1%
1981 27.0% +1.2%
1982 27.3% +1.2%
1983 27.6% +1.2%
1984 27.9% +1.1%
1985 28.2% +1.0%
1986 28.5% +0.9%
1987 28.7% +0.8%
1988 28.9% +0.7%
1989 29.1% +0.6%
1990 29.2% +0.6%
1991 29.5% +1.0%
1992 29.8% +1.0%
1993 30.1% +0.9%
1994 30.3% +0.8%
1995 30.5% +0.7%
1996 30.6% +0.2%
1997 30.6% +0.1%
1998 30.6% +0.0%
1999 30.7% +0.1%
2000 30.7% +0.3%
2001 31.1% +1.0%
2002 31.4% +1.0%
2003 31.7% +1.0%
2004 32.0% +1.0%
2005 32.4% +1.0%
2006 32.7% +1.0%
2007 33.0% +1.0%
2008 33.3% +1.0%
2009 33.6% +1.0%
2010 34.0% +1.0%
2011 34.6% +1.7%
2012 35.1% +1.7%
2013 35.7% +1.7%
2014 36.3% +1.7%
2015 36.9% +1.6%
2016 37.5% +1.6%
2017 38.1% +1.6%
2018 38.7% +1.5%
2019 39.3% +1.5%
2020 39.9% +1.5%
2021 40.4% +1.4%
2022 41.0% +1.4%
2023 41.6% +1.4%
2024 42.2% +1.4%
2025 42.7% +1.4%

Thailand compared with similar countries

  • Thailand's 42.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 69.2%, 62% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
  • Thailand's 42.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 59.0%, 72% of the median. (27 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Share of population living in urbanized areas 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.

YearChange FromTo
1100 +200.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1200 +200.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1300 +200.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1400 +200.0% 0.0% 0.1%
1500 +200.0% 0.1% 0.2%
1600 +200.0% 0.2% 0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1500s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1600s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1700s 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1
1710s 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1
1720s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1730s 2.2% 2.2% 2.2% 1
1740s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1
1750s 2.7% 2.7% 2.7% 1
1760s 2.9% 2.9% 2.9% 1
1770s 3.2% 3.2% 3.2% 1
1780s 3.5% 3.5% 3.5% 1
1790s 3.8% 3.8% 3.8% 1
1800s 4.2% 4.2% 4.2% 1
1810s 4.6% 4.6% 4.6% 1
1820s 5.0% 5.0% 5.0% 1
1830s 5.5% 5.5% 5.5% 1
1840s 6.0% 6.0% 6.0% 1
1850s 6.6% 6.6% 6.6% 1
1860s 7.2% 7.2% 7.2% 1
1870s 7.9% 7.9% 7.9% 1
1880s 8.7% 8.7% 8.7% 1
1890s 9.5% 9.5% 9.5% 1
1900s 10.4% 10.4% 10.4% 1
1910s 11.4% 11.4% 11.4% 1
1920s 12.5% 12.5% 12.5% 1
1930s 13.7% 13.7% 13.7% 1
1940s 15.0% 15.0% 15.0% 1
1950s 17.9% 16.4% 19.5% 10
1960s 20.4% 19.8% 20.9% 10
1970s 23.5% 21.1% 26.1% 10
1980s 28.0% 26.7% 29.1% 10
1990s 30.2% 29.2% 30.7% 10
2000s 32.2% 30.7% 33.6% 10
2010s 36.6% 34.0% 39.3% 10
2020s 41.3% 39.9% 42.7% 6

Countries ranked near Thailand

  1. 159 Faroe Islands 44.4% compare
  2. 160 Kyrgyzstan 43.4% compare
  3. 161 Myanmar 42.9% compare
  4. 163 Gambia 42.1% compare
  5. 164 Yemen 41.8% compare
  6. 165 Vietnam 39.6% compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Thailand

All data for Thailand →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urbanized areas in Thailand?
Share of population living in urbanized areas in Thailand was 42.7% in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Thailand?
The highest recorded value was 42.7% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Thailand?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Thailand rank for share of population living in urbanized areas?
Thailand ranks 162nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urbanized areas rising or falling in Thailand?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Thailand data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urbanized areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in urbanized areas in Thailand. Statizoid, drawing on HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/long-term-urban-population-region/thailand/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urbanized areas
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,784 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of population living in urban areas in a country over time.