Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand
Thailand: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 17.25 million people in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Number of people 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 people.
Analysis
In 2020, number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand stood at 17.25 million people. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand peaked at 17.25 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.33 million people, in 1950.
Thailand ranks 23rd of 182 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.48 million people | 1.33 million people | 1.62 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 2.21 million people | 1.99 million people | 2.44 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 3.32 million people | 2.98 million people | 3.65 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 4.97 million people | 4.64 million people | 5.31 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 6.77 million people | 6.34 million people | 7.21 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.46 million people | 8.38 million people | 10.54 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 13.95 million people | 12.99 million people | 14.92 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 17.25 million people | 17.25 million people | 17.25 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
- 20 South Africa 17.85 million people compare
- 21 Argentina 17.55 million people compare
- 22 United Kingdom 17.28 million people compare
- 24 Saudi Arabia 15.00 million people compare
- 25 Taiwan 14.82 million people compare
- 26 Iraq 13.05 million people compare
More reference data data for Thailand
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.1052 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.4642 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.7989 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.1363 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.5892 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 122.4 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand?
- Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Thailand was 17.25 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 17.25 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.33 million people in 1950.
- How does Thailand rank for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Thailand ranks 23rd out of 182 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.