Thailand Kingdom of Thailand
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	72nd best
Capital	Bangkok
Land Area	510 890km²₁
Location	Asia
Population	69.4m₂
Life Expectancy	74.62yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$14 519 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	TH, THA, 764₅
Internet Domain	.th₆
Currency	Baht (THB)₇
Telephone	+66₈

1. Overview

“A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US treaty ally in 1954 after sending troops to Korea and later fighting alongside the United States in Vietnam. Thailand since 2005 has experienced several rounds of political turmoil including a military coup in 2006 that ousted then Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat, followed by large-scale street protests by competing political factions in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Demonstrations in 2010 culminated with clashes between security forces and pro-THAKSIN protesters, elements of which were armed, and resulted in at least 92 deaths and an estimated $1.5 billion in arson-related property losses. THAKSIN's youngest sister, YINGLAK Chinnawat, in 2011 led the Puea Thai Party to an electoral win and assumed control of the government. YINGLAK's leadership was almost immediately challenged by historic flooding in late 2011 that had large swathes of the country underwater and threatened to inundate Bangkok itself. Throughout 2012 the Puea Thai-led government struggled with the opposition Democrat Party to fulfill some of its main election promises, including constitutional reform and political reconciliation. Since January 2004, thousands have been killed and wounded in violence associated with the ethno-nationalist insurgency in Thailand's southern Malay-Muslim majority provinces.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Friendly and fun-loving, exotic and tropical, cultured and historic, Thailand radiates a golden hue from its gaudy temples and tropical beaches to the ever-comforting Thai smile. Lustrous Thailand radiates a hospitality that makes it one of the most accessibly exotic destinations on earth. Its natural landscape is part of the allure: the blonde beaches are lapped at by cerulean seas, while the northern mountains cascade into the misty horizon. In between are emerald-coloured rice fields and busy, prosperous cities built around sacred temples. It is a bountiful land where the markets are piled high with pyramids of colourful fruits and the rót khen (vendor cart) is an integral piece of a city´s infrastructure.
You´ll suffer few travelling hardships, save for a few pushy touts, in this land of comfort and convenience. Bangkok reigns as an Asian superstar, Chiang Mai excels in liveability and the tropical islands are up all night to party. It is relatively cheap to hop around by plane and the kingdom provides a gateway to everywhere else in the region. Though the fiery curries and simple stir-fries might delay your departure.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

“Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, in his concurrent position as NCPO chairman, [wields] absolute power without oversight or accountability. The 2017 constitution, promulgated in March, endorses the continuance of this power, thereby guaranteeing that both the NCPO and officials operating under its orders cannot be held accountable for their rights violations. An unelected Senate and other elements of the new constitution lay the foundations for prolonged military control even if the junta fulfills its promise to hold elections in November 2018.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₁₁

2. Thailand National and Social Development

#economics #human_development

UN HDI (2016)₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₁₂
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
85	Ukraine	84
86	Jordan	86
87	Peru	87
88	Thailand	87
89	Ecuador	89
90	China	90
91	Fiji	91
92	St Lucia	92
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2011)₁₃
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₃
1	Qatar	$129 916
2	Singapore	$78 162
3	Kuwait	$76 075
	...
73	Venezuela	$15 129
74	Barbados	$14 952
75	Botswana	$14 663
76	Thailand	$14 519
77	Libya	$14 303
78	Brazil	$14 145
79	Turkmenistan	$14 026
80	Costa Rica	$14 006
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₄_,₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₄_,₁₅
1	Norway	30.8
2	Denmark	31.8
3	Sweden	33.9
	...
69	Cuba	79.9
70	Sri Lanka	80.0
71	Armenia	80.0
72	Thailand	80.4
73	UAE	81.1
74	Philippines	82.0
75	Turkey	82.3
76	Tunisia	82.6
	World Avg	88.0
q=195.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Thailand's Demographics

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population

Population:

Thailand's population is predicted to rise to 73.32 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.54. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Population (2018)₂
Pos.		Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
17	Germany	83.1m
18	Turkey	82.3m
19	Iran	81.8m
20	Thailand	69.4m
21	UK	67.1m
22	France	65.0m
23	Italy	60.6m
24	S. Africa	57.8m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₃
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₃
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
76	Romania	74.84
77	Peru	74.81
78	Brazil	74.75
79	Thailand	74.62
80	Mauritius	74.60
81	Kuwait	74.55
82	Saudi Arabia	74.44
83	Venezuela	74.39
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₆
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₆
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
68	Cambodia	2.45
69	Bulgaria	1.54
70	Bahrain	2.46
71	Thailand	1.54
72	Greece	1.54
73	Georgia	1.53
74	Switzerland	1.53
75	Mongolia	2.48
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₇
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₇
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
135	Macedonia	27.7
136	Luxembourg	28.3
137	Armenia	28.7
138	Thailand	29.2
139	Ireland	29.2
140	Russia	29.5
141	Georgia	29.7
142	Montenegro	30.0
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
79	Marshall Islands	6.2%
80	Turkey	6.0%
81	Syria	5.5%
82	Thailand	5.2%
83	Hungary	5.2%
84	Palestine	5.2%
85	Argentina	4.9%
86	Panama	4.7%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₉
Pos.		%₁₉
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
167	Malawi	1.4%
168	Congo, DR	1.3%
169	N. Korea	1.3%
170	Thailand	1.2%
171	UAE	1.2%
172	Mongolia	1.2%
173	Kenya	1.1%
174	Indonesia	1.1%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #thailand #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₂₀_,₂₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₀_,₂₁
1	Sweden	9.9
2	Denmark	14.7
3	Norway	15.5
	...
110	China	96.4
111	Vietnam	96.6
112	Andorra	97.2
113	Thailand	97.2
114	Cuba	97.7
115	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	98.6
116	India	98.9
117	Sierra Leone	100.4
q=199.

Thailand is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Thailand comes in the best 20 in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₂. It does better than average for LGBT equality₂₃ and in opposing gender inequality₂₄. But unfortunately Thailand gets most other things wrong. It does worse than average in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₅ (still high for Asia), supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₆, speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₇, supporting press freedom₂₈, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₉ and in freethought₃₀. The rich and the poor live completely different lives; just 1% of the popuation draws 20% of the country's entire income₃₁. Military Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha wields "absolute power without oversight or accountability" and he and his officials "cannot be held accountable for their rights violations"₁₁. Civil rights are suffering and critics of the government are being suppressed and silenced and some protests have been violently dispersed. Thailand's fishing industry has become infamous for using modern slavery techniques to acquire and keep workers via human trafficking and debt bondage techniques₃₂.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Thailand

5. Thailand's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #Thailand #vaccines

Health (2020)₃₃_,₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₃_,₃₄
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
17	Bangladesh	68.5
18	Spain	69.1
19	N. Korea	69.6
20	Thailand	70.4
21	Qatar	71.1
22	Uzbekistan	71.1
23	Portugal	71.5
24	Kuwait	72.3
25	Luxembourg	72.9
	World Avg	92.3
q=187.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Hong Kong, Singapore and The Maldives₃₃. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₃₃.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and Europe₃₃, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia₃₃.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020)

Health:

Thailand does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Thailand does better than average for its immunizations take-up₃₅, its fertility rate₁₆, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₆, its suicide rate₃₇ and in its average life expectancy₁₃. Thailand does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its adolescent birth rate₂₄, its smoking rate₃₈ and in its alcohol consumption rate₃₉. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₃
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₃
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
76	Romania	74.84
77	Peru	74.81
78	Brazil	74.75
79	Thailand	74.62
80	Mauritius	74.60
81	Kuwait	74.55
82	Saudi Arabia	74.44
83	Venezuela	74.39
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₉
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₉
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
122	Burkina Faso	8.2
123	St Vincent & Grenadines	8.2
124	Dominica	8.2
125	Thailand	8.3
126	Ivory Coast	8.4
127	Botswana	8.4
128	Trinidad & Tobago	8.4
129	Vietnam	8.4
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₆
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₆
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
68	Cambodia	2.45
69	Bulgaria	1.54
70	Bahrain	2.46
71	Thailand	1.54
72	Greece	1.54
73	Georgia	1.53
74	Switzerland	1.53
75	Mongolia	2.48
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₈
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₈
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
117	Ireland	954
116	Chile	930
115	Turkmenistan	925₄₀
114	Thailand	895
113	Iran	869
112	Laos	836
111	Sweden	831
110	UK	827
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₇
Pos.		Per 100k₃₇
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
40	Ecuador	14.1
41	Spain	15.3
42	Argentina	15.6
43	Thailand	15.8
44	Australia	16.4
45	El Salvador	16.5
46	Kyrgyzstan	17.7
47	Netherlands	18.6
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
34	Macedonia	34
35	India	35
36	Fiji	36
37	Thailand	37
38	Pakistan	38
39	Portugal	39
40	Brazil	40
41	Iceland	41
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₁
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
53	China	32.3
54	Mauritius	32.3
55	N. Korea	32.4
56	Thailand	32.6
57	Cameroon	33.6
58	Mauritania	34.4
59	Cape Verde	34.8
60	Sao Tome & Principe	35.4
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₄
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₄
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
96	Georgia	39.7
97	Barbados	40.7
98	Vanuatu	43.1
99	Thailand	44.6
100	Antigua & Barbuda	44.8
101	Fiji	44.8
102	S. Africa	45.5
103	Cuba	45.6
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₅
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₅
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
17	Antigua & Barbuda	98.0
18	Cuba	97.9
19	Belgium	97.8
20	Thailand	97.8
21	Mauritius	97.6
22	Fiji	97.6
23	Kuwait	97.5
24	Morocco	97.5
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Thailand's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #intelligence #maths #modernity #politics #religion #research #science #technology #the_internet

Modernity and Learning (2020)₄₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₂
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
74	Albania	64.1
75	Kenya	64.7
76	Ecuador	64.7
77	Thailand	65.2
78	Armenia	65.3
79	Egypt	65.4
80	St Lucia	66.6
81	Bahrain	67.1
82	Kuwait	67.1
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₄₃
2	Israel	4.11₄₃
3	Japan	3.58₄₃
	...
66	Puerto Rico	0.44₄₄
67	Jordan	0.43₄₅
68	Mozambique	0.42₄₆
69	Thailand	0.39₄₇
70	Tanzania	0.38₄₆
71	Romania	0.38₄₃
72	Montenegro	0.38₄₄
73	Chile	0.38₄₃
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₈
Pos.		Higher is better₄₈
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
	...
118	Maldives	47.1%
119	Bangladesh	46.7%
120	St Lucia	46.0%
121	Thailand	44.8%
122	Zambia	44.3%
123	El Salvador	42.8%
124	Namibia	41.1%
125	Syria	41.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2018)₄₉
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₉
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
63	Algeria	14.7
64	Cyprus	14.7
65	Oman	14.7
66	Thailand	14.7
67	Colombia	14.6
68	Slovakia	14.5
69	Fiji	14.4
70	Brunei	14.4
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
104	Swaziland	104
105	Albania	105
106	Madagascar	106
107	Thailand	107
108	Yemen	108
109	Brazil	109
110	Nicaragua	110
111	Togo	111
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading (2015)₅₀
Pos.		Higher is better Score₅₀
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
54	Costa Rica	1247
55	Mexico	1247
56	Albania	1245
57	Thailand	1245
58	Colombia	1231
59	Qatar	1222
60	Georgia	1216
61	Jordan	1197
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity (2009)₅₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₅₁
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
101	Comoros	97
102	Egypt	97
103	Morocco	97
104	Thailand	97
105	Mauritania	98
106	Djibouti	98
107	Somaliland	98
108	Burundi	98
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

IQ (2006)₅₂
Pos.		Higher is better₅₂
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
49	Malaysia	92
50	Greece	92
51	Brunei	91
52	Thailand	91
53	Lithuania	91
54	Cambodia	91
55	Albania	90
56	Croatia	90
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₅₃
Pos.		Higher is better₅₃
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
113	Philippines	44%
114	Jamaica	43%
115	Ecuador	43%
116	Thailand	43%
117	Mauritius	43%
118	Cape Verde	43%
119	Suriname	42%
120	Bolivia	41%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet (2012)₅₄
Pos.		Lower is better₅₄
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
	...
32	Sri Lanka	55
33	Kazakhstan	58
34	Egypt	59
35	Thailand	61
36	Pakistan	63
37	Belarus	69
38	Bahrain	71
39	Saudi Arabia	71
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₅₅
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
35	Singapore	4.0
36	Sweden	3.8
37	Poland	3.6
38	Thailand	3.3
39	Denmark	3.1
40	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.1
41	Sri Lanka	2.9
42	Latvia	2.2
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

The region of south-east Asia hosts some of the kindest people in the world. Myanmar and Thailand often top the World Giving Index₅₆, which the Charities Aid Foundation attributes to the teachings and values of Theravada Buddhism₅₆. Likewise, in Indonesia, giving is strongly encouraged by the Islamic doctrine of zakat, causing that country to give to charity at three times the global average rate.

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₅₇
Pos.		Lower is better₅₇
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
	...
21	Nigeria	26.7
22	Kuwait	26.8
23	Malaysia	27.8
24	Thailand	28.9
25	Puerto Rico	29.0
26	Iran	29.0
27	Austria	29.3
28	Germany	31.0
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2012-2016)₅₈
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₅₈
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
94	Peru	37.0
95	Benin	36.8
96	Colombia	36.6
97	Thailand	36.6
98	Maldives	36.0
99	Philippines	35.6
100	Algeria	35.2
101	Armenia	35.0
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Happiness (2018)₅₉
Pos.		Higher is better₅₉
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
43	Bahrain	6.1
44	Uzbekistan	6.1
45	Kuwait	6.1
46	Thailand	6.1
47	Italy	6.0
48	Ecuador	6.0
49	Belize	6.0
50	Lithuania	6.0
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
51	Chile	51
52	Bahamas	52
53	UAE	53
54	Thailand	54
55	Macedonia	55
56	Mauritania	56
57	India	57
58	Philippines	58
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
106	Bolivia	106
107	Ghana	107
108	Mexico	108
109	Thailand	109
110	Ecuador	110
111	Malawi	111
112	Laos	112
113	China	113
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index (2021)₆₀
Pos.		Lower is better₆₀
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
	...
110	El Salvador	2.18
111	Guatemala	2.20
112	Lesotho	2.20
113	Thailand	2.21
114	Uganda	2.22
115	Togo	2.24
116	Kenya	2.25
117	Belarus	2.29
	World Avg	2.08
q=163.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
18	Japan	18
19	Chile	19
20	Kazakhstan	20
21	Thailand	21
22	Algeria	22
23	Guatemala	23
24	Ecuador	24
25	Madagascar	25
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₆
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
20	Luxembourg	20
21	Ireland	21
22	Costa Rica	22
23	Thailand	23
24	Poland	24
25	S. Africa	25
26	Chile	26
27	Panama	27
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₆₁
Pos.		Lower is better Score₆₁
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
130	Kenya	5.76
131	Sudan	5.81
132	Colombia	5.91
133	Thailand	6.03
134	S. Sudan	6.32
135	Turkey	6.53
136	Cameroon	6.62
137	Central African Rep.	6.62
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₆₂
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₂
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
	...
30	France	+17.7
31	Algeria	+17.3
32	Bulgaria	+17.1
33	Thailand	+17.1
34	Chile	+16.2
35	Hungary	+14.0
36	Morocco	+13.7
37	UK	+13.2
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₆₃
Pos.		Higher is better₆₃
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
118	Grenada	50.9
119	Tanzania	50.8
120	China	50.7
121	Thailand	49.9
122	Micronesia	49.8
123	Libya	49.8
124	Ghana	49.7
125	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	49.5
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₆₄
Pos.		Higher is better₆₄
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
	...
77	USA	07.58
78	Czechia	07.46
79	Tajikistan	07.46
80	Thailand	07.41
81	Cambodia	07.35
82	Nigeria	07.30
83	Georgia	07.25
84	Vietnam	07.14
	World Avg	09.29
q=119.

Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.		Earlier is better Signed
1	China	1993 Dec 29
2	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
3	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
185	Bosnia & Herzegovina	2002 Nov 24
186	Afghanistan	2002 Dec 18
187	Tuvalu	2003 Mar 20
188	Thailand	2004 Jan 29
189	Montenegro	2006 Jun 03
190	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2007 Jan 08
191	Brunei	2008 Jul 27
192	Iraq	2009 Oct 26
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)₆₅
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₅
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
38	Belize	50.6%
39	Burkina Faso	50.5%
40	Dominican Rep.	50.2%
41	Thailand	49.9%
42	Italy	49.6%
43	Vietnam	49.1%
44	Honduras	48.1%
45	Iran	47.9%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #poverty #social_development

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₆₆
Pos.		Higher is worse₆₆
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
	...
67	Macedonia	7.90
66	Uruguay	7.90
65	Georgia	7.90
64	Thailand	7.90
63	Kazakhstan	7.70
62	Brunei	7.60
61	Ukraine	7.40
60	Lebanon	7.40
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₆₇
Pos.		Lower is better %₆₇
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
	...
69	Greece	36.0
70	Spain	36.2
71	Laos	36.4
72	Thailand	36.5
73	Fiji	36.7
74	Yemen	36.7
75	Solomon Islands	37.1
76	Lithuania	37.4
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

Multidimensional Poverty (2018)₆₈
Pos.		Lower is better Severity₆₈
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
8	Trinidad & Tobago	.002
9	Maldives	.003
10	Albania	.003
11	Thailand	.003
12	Moldova	.004
13	Palestine	.004
14	Tunisia	.005
15	St Lucia	.007
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Religiosity (2009)₅₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₅₁
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
101	Comoros	97
102	Egypt	97
103	Morocco	97
104	Thailand	97
105	Mauritania	98
106	Djibouti	98
107	Somaliland	98
108	Burundi	98
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)₆₉
Pos.		Higher is better %₆₉
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
92	Botswana	0
93	Syria	0
94	Sierra Leone	0
95	Thailand	0
96	Togo	0
97	Benin	0
98	Tunisia	0
99	Uganda	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₇₀:

Christian	0.9%
Muslim	5.5%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	93.2%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.3%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Buddhist (official) 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)₇₁.

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