Thailand (Kingdom of Thailand)

Thailand Kingdom of Thailand
Status	Independent State
Capital	Bangkok
Land Area	510 890km21
Location	Asia
Population	69.9m (2011)2
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
2. Thailand National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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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

#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.

Social & Moral Development Index13
Pos.		Higher is better Points13
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
84	Cuba	55.4
85	Andorra	55.3
86	Guatemala	55.0
87	Thailand	54.8
88	Jordan	54.7
89	Dominican Rep.	54.5
90	Vietnam	54.5
91	Belarus	54.4
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

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: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

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

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)14
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10014
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.

Emigrants (2010)15
Pos.		%15
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.

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.

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.

Immigrants (2010)15
Pos.		%15
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
133	Malawi	1.8%
134	Sudan	1.7%
135	Japan	1.7%
136	Thailand	1.7%
137	Sri Lanka	1.7%
138	Senegal	1.6%
139	Guyana	1.5%
140	Tanzania	1.5%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)17
Pos.		Higher is better Years17
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.

Population (2012)18
Pos.		Population18
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
16	Germany	82.0m
17	Iran	75.6m
18	Turkey	74.5m
19	Thailand	69.9m
20	Congo, DR	69.6m
21	France	63.5m
22	UK	62.8m
23	Italy	61.0m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

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.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#equality #freedom #human_rights #politics #thailand #tolerance

Thailand is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Thailand comes in the best 20 in terms of fighting anti-semitic opinions₁₉. It does better than average for the year from which women could participate in democracy₂₀, LGBT equality₂₁ and in opposing gender inequality₂₂. Thailand does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average when it comes to commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₃ (still high for Asia), fighting corruption₂₄, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₅, its Global Peace Index rating₂₆, supporting press freedom₂₇, eliminating modern slavery₂₈ and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₉. 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 techniques₃₀.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Thailand

5. Peace Versus Instability

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

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
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)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
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.

Global Peace Index (2012)26
Pos.		Lower is better26
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
122	Venezuela	2.28
123	Guatemala	2.29
124	Mauritania	2.30
125	Thailand	2.30
126	S. Africa	2.32
127	Iran	2.32
128	Honduras	2.34
129	Turkey	2.34
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₆. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₆ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₆.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)32
Pos.		Lower is better Score32
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.

6. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2009)33
Pos.		Lower is better %33
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)34
Pos.		Higher is better %34
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 below₃₅:

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)₃₆.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#internet #politics #Thailand #the_internet

Freedom On The Internet (2012)37
Pos.		Lower is better37
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.

Internet Users (2016)38
Pos.		Higher is better38
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.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)39
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio39
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.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #genetics #health #mental_health #obesity #organ_donation #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #Thailand #UK

Thailand does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Thailand does better than average in terms of its immunizations take-up₄₀, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₁, its suicide rate₄₁ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₄₂. Thailand does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average for its adolescent birth rate₂₂, its smoking rate₄₃ and in its alcohol consumption rate₄₄. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 for number of organ donors₄₅. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)44
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita44
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.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₄₆ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₄₇ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₄₈ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₄₉. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₅₀. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Organ Donors (At Death) (2017)45
Pos.		Higher is better pmp45
1	Spain	46.9051
2	Portugal	34.0151
3	Belgium	33.6251
	...
48	Kuwait	5.00
49	Ecuador	5.00
50	Moldova	4.50
51	Thailand	4.27
52	Panama	4.15
53	Mexico	3.96
54	Russia	3.90
55	China	3.67
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
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)42
Pos.		Lower is better %42
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.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₅₂. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₃. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₃ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₄ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₅. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₅₆. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₅₇.

Smoking Rates (2014)43
Pos.		Lower is better43
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
111	Sweden	831
112	Laos	836
113	Iran	869
114	Thailand	895
115	Turkmenistan	92558
116	Chile	930
117	Ireland	954
118	Australia	956
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)41
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k41
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.

9. Children's Health

#health #parenting #population #Thailand #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)22
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100022
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)40
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %40
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.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries