Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Thailand
Thailand: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 28.19 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Thailand, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Thailand recorded 28.19 million people for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020.
That represents a change of down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Thailand peaked at 29.68 million people in 1995 and was at its lowest, 14.04 million people, in 1950.
Thailand ranks 12th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Thailand, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 14.04 million people | — |
| 1955 | 15.50 million people | +10.4% |
| 1960 | 17.13 million people | +10.5% |
| 1965 | 18.96 million people | +10.7% |
| 1970 | 20.80 million people | +9.7% |
| 1975 | 22.52 million people | +8.2% |
| 1980 | 24.99 million people | +11.0% |
| 1985 | 27.13 million people | +8.6% |
| 1990 | 28.77 million people | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 29.68 million people | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 29.65 million people | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 29.48 million people | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 29.33 million people | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 28.92 million people | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 28.19 million people | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 14.77 million people | 14.04 million people | 15.50 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 18.05 million people | 17.13 million people | 18.96 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 21.66 million people | 20.80 million people | 22.52 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 26.06 million people | 24.99 million people | 27.13 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 29.22 million people | 28.77 million people | 29.68 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 29.57 million people | 29.48 million people | 29.65 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 29.13 million people | 28.92 million people | 29.33 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 28.19 million people | 28.19 million people | 28.19 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More population data for Thailand
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.7473 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.57 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.7473 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.8771 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 67,880 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.0154 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.4671 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Population density 89.17 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.67 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Thailand?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Thailand was 28.19 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 29.68 million people in 1995.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.04 million people in 1950.
- How does Thailand rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Thailand ranks 12th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Thailand data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.