Thailand is the twenty largest in terms of the number of inhabitants of the states of our planet. The population, according to the most recent data, is just over 71 million people, is mainly indigenous settlers. In addition, many different nationalities live in the country. About all this in more detail and will be discussed later.
Demographic features
Thailand, with per capita GDP of just over 7 thousand US dollars per year, can be called a fairly developed country. Another confirmation of this is the fact that more than 93% of residents have education here. In the mid-twentieth century, a real population explosion occurred in the state. Then over the course of 23 years, the number of local residents has doubled. Every third resident of the country lives in cities. The population of its capital, Bangkok, exceeds the mark of 10 million people. According to statistics, the average life expectancy of women is 74 years, while that of men is 70. Almost half of the population is under 30 years old.
Urbanization
Currently, Thailand has an average population density of 130 people per square kilometer. As in many other Asian countries, most locals live in rural areas. In particular, in the country there are about one thousand villages. Be that as it may, in recent years the outflow of young people from them to the capital and other megacities has become characteristic. The largest city after the aforementioned Bangkok is considered to be Chiang Mai (170 thousand inhabitants).
Ethnic composition
The native inhabitants of the country are ethnic Thais, who were driven out here by the Mongols from China in the thirteenth century. Gradually, they settled the Mekong River valley and created their own Siamese state. Today, these people account for 75% of all residents of the country. It consists of a large number of groups. In addition to Thais, the Thai population includes ethnic Chinese (14%), Malays (3.5%), as well as Vietnamese, Lao, Mono, Khmer and some mountain peoples. In total there are about 20 ethnic groups. One cannot but focus on the fact that more than one million people are refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. These people live in border areas and are camped.
Native people
The name "Thais" comes from the word "thai", which in translation into our language means a free person. The indigenous inhabitants of the country mainly live in its central regions. If you move along the territory of the state a little in the north-east direction, you can see that another nation dominates here - Lao. In general, the indigenous population of Thailand can be called very welcoming, friendly and open people. First of all, this is due to their religiosity and faith in karma. They also consider strong family ties to be very important. It is not surprising that several generations always live in the same house, and children take great care of their parents. Cases of murder and theft in the state are extremely rare. Locals are highly industrious.
Core activities
More than half of the country's able-bodied population is employed in the agricultural sector. A third of local residents work in government institutions and the service sector, and 14% are in industry. Although almost the entire population of Thailand can boast of having education, its level is far from the highest. In this regard, all sectors of the country's economy suffer from the lack of a sufficient number of qualified personnel.
In agriculture, the cultivation of rice, vegetables and cereals predominates. Cattle breeding is also considered quite developed, because Thais raise cattle and small cattle, as well as birds, buffalos and horses. Some local villages live off fishing and selling fish. The most honorable craft is wood carving, the secrets of which are transmitted exclusively from generation to generation. Women are usually engaged in weaving and pottery.
Languages
The Thai population speaks mainly the state Thai language, in which three main dialects can be distinguished. The first of them is official and is used in literature and education, the second is spoken in the northern regions, and the third is mainly used in the north-east and south-east of the country. According to officially confirmed information, as early as the thirteenth century, under the influence of Khmer culture, the first Thai written traditions were formed. All religious works are written in the Pali language.
In connection with the numerical ethnic group of Chinese, of which there are about 6 million, several Chinese dialects can be called fairly common in the state. Most often, among them, teochu and mandarin are used. About 2 million people speak the Malay language. An interesting feature is the use of Arabic script. In tourist centers and large cities, English is actively used.
Religion
Almost the entire population of Thailand (more than 94% of the population) professes Buddhism. It is not surprising that it is in Bangkok that the world's largest international organization of this religion is stationed - the World Brotherhood of Buddhists. Along with this, it is impossible not to note the nuance that the Thais borrowed many rites and customs from other beliefs: Hinduism, Taoism and Confucianism. In addition to Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs are found in the country, and traditional ancient religions are quite common in the mountainous regions of the state.