Thailand — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Thailand: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Thailand is in Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma. It covers 513,120 sq km. 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.
| 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% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 0.7% (2024 est.) |
| 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 years (2025 est.) |
| 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.) |
Thailand’s GDP is $1.558 trillion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $526.411 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 2.5% (2024 est.). See where Thailand ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 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.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 1.4%; a current-account surplus of $11 billion — the world pays it more than it pays out
- What drags it down: only 15% of electricity from low-carbon sources
Tin, Natural gas, Tungsten, Tantalum, Timber, Lead, Gypsum.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 99.9% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 81.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 2.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 1.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 3.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 80.602 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 1,420.8 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 199.6 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 19,825 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Gas 68.3%, Coal 16.7%, Hydro 3.2%, Solar 3.1%, Wind 1.8%, Oil 0.1% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 14.9% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 554.5 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $369.191 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $351.419 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $17.8 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts, agricultural machinery, air conditioning and refrigeration, ceramics, aluminum, chemical, environmental management, glass, granite and marble, leather, machinery and metal work, petrochemical, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, printing, pulp and paper, rubber, sugar, rice, fishing, cassava, world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
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) |
Major airports
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.
Terminals
| 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
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Thailand.
Historical timeline of Thailand
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Thailand — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Thailand's power score?
Thailand has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.