Share of population living in urban areas in Thailand

Thailand: Share of population living in urban areas was 60.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
60.6%
World rank
176th
of 236 countries
All-time high
60.6%
in 2020
All-time low
31.3%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Thailand, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 31.3 %1955: 33.6 %1960: 36.2 %1965: 39.1 %1970: 42.1 %1975: 45 %1980: 45.3 %1985: 46 %1990: 47.4 %1995: 49.8 %2000: 52.9 %2005: 55.3 %2010: 57.2 %2015: 59 %2020: 60.6 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Thailand recorded 60.6% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Thailand peaked at 60.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 31.3%, in 1950.

Thailand ranks 176th of 236 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 32.4% 31.3% 33.6% 2
1960s 37.7% 36.2% 39.1% 2
1970s 43.6% 42.1% 45.0% 2
1980s 45.6% 45.3% 46.0% 2
1990s 48.6% 47.4% 49.8% 2
2000s 54.1% 52.9% 55.3% 2
2010s 58.1% 57.2% 59.0% 2
2020s 60.6% 60.6% 60.6% 1

Countries ranked near Thailand

  1. 173 France 62.1% compare
  2. 174 French Polynesia 61.6% compare
  3. 175 Finland 60.9% compare
  4. 177 Tonga 60.6% compare
  5. 178 Bulgaria 60.1% compare
  6. 179 Czechia 60.1% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Thailand

All data for Thailand →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Thailand?
Share of population living in urban areas in Thailand was 60.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Thailand?
The highest recorded value was 60.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Thailand?
The lowest recorded value was 31.3% in 1950.
How does Thailand rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Thailand ranks 176th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Thailand?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. 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 major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. 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

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.