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Thai people

This article is about Thailandian people native to Thailand. For broader sense of the Thai people, see Demographics of Thailand.
Thai people
Flag of Thailand
Thai people at a cremation ceremony at Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai
Total population
c. 52–59 million[a]
Regions with significant populations
Thailand c. 51–57.8 million[nb 1][1][2][3]
Thai diaspora
c. 1.1 million
 United States328,176 (2022)[4]
 South Korea185,389[5] (2018)
 Germany115,000[6] (2020)
 Australia81,850[7] (2019)
 Taiwan64,922[8] (2018)
 Japan63,689 (2024)[9]
 Malaysia51,000–70,000[10][11] (2012)
 Singapore47,700[10] (2012)
 United Kingdom45,000[12] (2018)
 Sweden44,339[13] (2019)
 France30,000 (2012)[10]
 Israel28,000[10] (2011)
 Libya24,600[10] (2011)
 Indonesia24,000[14] (2020)
 Canada22,275[15] (2021)
 Norway22,194[16] (2020)
 Netherlands20,106 (2017)[17]
 Laos15,497[18] (2015)
 UAE14,232[10] (2012)
 Russia14,087[19] (2015)
 Finland13,687[20] (2019)
 Belgium12,952 (2019)[21]
 Denmark12,947[22] (2020)
 Hong Kong11,493[23] (2016)
 Saudi Arabia11,240[10] (2012)
 New Zealand10,251 (born), c. 50,000 (ancestry)[24] (2018)
  Switzerland9,058[25] (2015)
 China8,618[10] (2012)
 Italy5,766[26] (2016)
 Brunei5,466[10] (2012)
 Austria3,773[10] (2012)
 India3,715[10] (2012)
 South Africa3,500[10] (2012)
 Qatar2,500[10] (2012)
 Bahrain2,424[10] (2012)
 Kuwait2,378[10] (2012)
 Egypt2,331[10] (2012)
 Brazil2,172[27] (2024)
Rest of the worldc. 47,000[28]
Languages
Central Thai, Southern Thai
Religion
Predominantly :
Theravada Buddhism 97.6%
Minorities:Tai folk religion
Sunni Islam 1.6%
Christianity 0.8%
Related ethnic groups
Malaysian Siamese
Chart shows the demographics of Thailand

Thai people (also known as Siamese people and by various demonyms) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Thailand. In a narrower and ethnic sense, the Thais are also a Tai ethnic group dominant in Central and Southern Thailand (Siam proper).[29][30][31][32][33][2][34] Part of the larger Tai ethno-linguistic group native to Southeast Asia as well as Southern China and Northeast India, Thais speak the Sukhothai languages (Central Thai and Southern Thai language),[35] which is classified as part of the Kra–Dai family of languages. The majority of Thais are followers of Theravada Buddhism.

Government policies during the late 1930s and early 1940s resulted in the successful forced assimilation of various ethno-linguistic groups into the country's dominant Central Thai language and culture, leading to the term Thai people to come to refer to the population of Thailand overall. This includes other subgroups of the Tai ethno-linguistic group, such as the Yuan people and the Isan people, as well as non-Southeast Asian and non-Tai groups, the largest of which is that of the Han Chinese, who form a substantial minority ethnic group in Thailand.


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  1. ^ McCargo, D.; Hongladarom, K. (2004). "Contesting Isan-ness: Discourses of politics and identity in Northeast Thailand" (PDF). Asian Ethnicity. 5 (2): 219. doi:10.1080/1463136042000221898. S2CID 30108605. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  2. ^ a b David Levinson (1998), Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook, Oryx Pres, p. 287, ISBN 978-1-57356-019-1
  3. ^ Paul, Lewis M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D. (2013), Ethnologue: Languages of the World, SIL International, ISBN 978-1-55671-216-6
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  5. ^ "출입국·외국인정책 내부용 통계월보 (2018년 7월호)" (PDF). gov.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Bevölkerung in Privathaushalten nach Migrationshintergrund im weiteren Sinn nach Geburtsstaat in Staatengruppen".
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  8. ^ "108.02Foreign Residents by Nationality (03/25/2019)". immigration.gov.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 2 May 2019.
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  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "รายงานจำนวนประมาณการคนไทยในต่างประเทศ 2012" (PDF). consular.go.th (in Thai). March 5, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-14.
  11. ^ Nop Nai Samrong (8 January 2014). "SIAMESE MALAYSIANS: They are part of our society". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  12. ^ "Population of the United Kingdom by Country of Birth and Nationality (July 2017 to June 2018)". ons.gov.uk. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  13. ^ "Foreign-born persons – Population by country of birth, age and sex. Year 2000 - 2018". Statistics Sweden. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Immigrant and Emigrant Populations by Country of Origin and Destination". 10 February 2014.
  15. ^ "Canada Census Profile 2021". Census Profile, 2021 Census. Statistics Canada Statistique Canada. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  16. ^ "05183: Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by sex and country background 1970 - 2021-PX-Web SSB".
  17. ^ "Population; sex, age, generation and migration background, 1 January". Statline.cbs.nl. September 17, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  18. ^ "Table P4.8 Overseas Migrant Population 10 Years Old and Over by Country of Origin and Province of Current Residence" (PDF). lsb.gov.la. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 1, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  19. ^ "Федеральная миграционная служба России - ФМС России - Основные показатели деятельности ФМС России - Официальные статистические данные - Сведения в отношении иностранных граждан, находящи". www.fms.gov.ru. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  20. ^ "United Nations Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs". www.un.org.
  21. ^ "Wachtregister asiel 2012-2021". npdata.be. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
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  26. ^ "Cittadini Stranieri. Popolazione residente per sesso e cittadinanza al 31 dicembre 2016". Istat (in Italian). Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  27. ^ Immigrants in Brazil (2024, in Portuguese)
  28. ^ "Trends in International Migrant Stock: Migrants by Destination and Origin" (XLSX). United Nations. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  29. ^ Cheesman, P. (1988). Lao textiles: ancient symbols-living art. Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus Co., Thailand.
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  33. ^ Gehan Wijeyewardene (1990). Ethnic Groups across National Boundaries in Mainland Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 48. ISBN 978-981-3035-57-7. The word 'Thai' is today generally used for citizens of the Kingdom of Thailand, and more specifically for the 'Siamese'.
  34. ^ Barbara A. West (2009), Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania, Facts on File, p. 794, ISBN 978-1-4381-1913-7
  35. ^ Antonio L. Rappa; Lionel Wee (2006), Language Policy and Modernity in Southeast Asia: Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, Springer, pp. 114–115

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