State Capacity Index in Thailand

Thailand: State Capacity Index was 0.5795 in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
0.5795
Change on year
up 10.2%
World rank
76th
of 166 countries
All-time high
0.8853
in 2002
All-time low
-0.5916
in 1961
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in Thailand, 1960–2015

-0.500.51196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for state capacity index in Thailand is 0.5795, measured in 2015.

That represents a change of up 10.2% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in Thailand peaked at 0.8853 in 2002 and was at its lowest, -0.5916, in 1961.

Thailand ranks 76th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

State Capacity Index in Thailand, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in Thailand, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 -0.5247
1961 -0.5916 +12.8%
1962 -0.5842 -1.3%
1963 -0.4748 -18.7%
1964 -0.4532 -4.5%
1965 -0.4001 -11.7%
1966 -0.3839 -4.0%
1967 -0.3623 -5.6%
1968 -0.3379 -6.7%
1969 -0.3082 -8.8%
1970 -0.1512 -50.9%
1971 -0.0938 -38.0%
1972 -0.2184 +132.9%
1973 -0.2196 +0.5%
1974 -0.2121 -3.4%
1975 -0.1573 -25.8%
1976 -0.126 -19.9%
1977 -0.1102 -12.5%
1978 -0.0708 -35.7%
1979 -0.0327 -53.8%
1980 0.0762 -332.9%
1981 0.1509 +97.9%
1982 0.1804 +19.5%
1983 0.2493 +38.2%
1984 0.2937 +17.8%
1985 0.3204 +9.1%
1986 0.3266 +1.9%
1987 0.3163 -3.2%
1988 0.42 +32.8%
1989 0.4813 +14.6%
1990 0.511 +6.2%
1991 0.5478 +7.2%
1992 0.6133 +12.0%
1993 0.6884 +12.2%
1994 0.7589 +10.2%
1995 0.767 +1.1%
1996 0.784 +2.2%
1997 0.7533 -3.9%
1998 0.6782 -10.0%
1999 0.6586 -2.9%
2000 0.8764 +33.1%
2001 0.8792 +0.3%
2002 0.8853 +0.7%
2003 0.6452 -27.1%
2004 0.7274 +12.7%
2005 0.6836 -6.0%
2006 0.6664 -2.5%
2007 0.6268 -5.9%
2008 0.6136 -2.1%
2009 0.6294 +2.6%
2010 0.6326 +0.5%
2011 0.7084 +12.0%
2012 0.6735 -4.9%
2013 0.6585 -2.2%
2014 0.5261 -20.1%
2015 0.5795 +10.2%

Thailand compared with similar countries

  • Thailand's 0.5795 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5986, 97% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Thailand's 0.5795 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6617, 88% of the median. (20 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where State Capacity Index in Thailand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1980 +332.9% -0.0327 0.0762
1972 -132.9% -0.0938 -0.2184
1981 +97.9% 0.0762 0.1509

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s -0.4421 -0.5916 -0.3082 10
1970s -0.1392 -0.2196 -0.0327 10
1980s 0.2815 0.0762 0.4813 10
1990s 0.6761 0.511 0.784 10
2000s 0.7233 0.6136 0.8853 10
2010s 0.6298 0.5261 0.7084 6

Countries ranked near Thailand

  1. 73 Colombia 0.6181 compare
  2. 74 Dominican Republic 0.5986 compare
  3. 75 Moldova 0.5904 compare
  4. 77 Trinidad and Tobago 0.5713 compare
  5. 78 Cuba 0.566 compare
  6. 79 Ecuador 0.5636 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for Thailand

All data for Thailand →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in Thailand?
State capacity index in Thailand was 0.5795 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Thailand?
The highest recorded value was 0.8853 in 2002.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Thailand?
The lowest recorded value was -0.5916 in 1961.
How does Thailand rank for state capacity index?
Thailand ranks 76th out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in Thailand?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Thailand data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in Thailand. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/thailand/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.