Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand
Thailand: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 24.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand stood at 24.1%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 27.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand peaked at 24.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 1950.
Thailand ranks 55th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.5% | — |
| 1955 | 7.0% | +7.2% |
| 1960 | 7.4% | +6.4% |
| 1965 | 7.8% | +5.5% |
| 1970 | 8.3% | +6.1% |
| 1975 | 8.9% | +7.5% |
| 1980 | 10.2% | +13.9% |
| 1985 | 10.6% | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 11.6% | +9.8% |
| 1995 | 12.2% | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 13.3% | +9.0% |
| 2005 | 16.0% | +20.1% |
| 2010 | 18.9% | +18.6% |
| 2015 | 21.1% | +11.7% |
| 2020 | 24.1% | +13.9% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 24.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.8%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 24.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 21.4%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.7% | 6.5% | 7.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 7.6% | 7.4% | 7.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 8.6% | 8.3% | 8.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 10.4% | 10.2% | 10.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 11.9% | 11.6% | 12.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.6% | 13.3% | 16.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 20.0% | 18.9% | 21.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 24.1% | 24.1% | 24.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More reference data data for Thailand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.08 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.08 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.58 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 65.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.92 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand was 24.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 24.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 1950.
- How does Thailand rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Thailand ranks 55th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Thailand data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.