Share of population living in rural areas in Thailand
Thailand: Share of population living in rural areas was 39.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in rural areas in Thailand, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in rural areas in Thailand stood at 39.4%. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Thailand peaked at 68.7% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 39.4%, in 2020.
Thailand ranks 61st of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Thailand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 68.7% | — |
| 1955 | 66.4% | -3.4% |
| 1960 | 63.8% | -3.9% |
| 1965 | 60.9% | -4.6% |
| 1970 | 57.9% | -5.0% |
| 1975 | 55.0% | -4.9% |
| 1980 | 54.7% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 54.0% | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 52.6% | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 50.2% | -4.5% |
| 2000 | 47.1% | -6.3% |
| 2005 | 44.7% | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 42.8% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 41.0% | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 39.4% | -4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 67.6% | 66.4% | 68.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 62.3% | 60.9% | 63.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 56.4% | 55.0% | 57.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 54.4% | 54.0% | 54.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 51.4% | 50.2% | 52.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 45.9% | 44.7% | 47.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 41.9% | 41.0% | 42.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 39.4% | 39.4% | 39.4% | 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 share of population living in rural areas in Thailand?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Thailand was 39.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 68.7% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.4% in 2020.
- How does Thailand rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Thailand ranks 61st out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.