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Is Thailand a Developing Country?

The World Bank classifies Thailand as an upper-middle income economy. Its gross national income per person was US$ 7,690 in 2025 (Atlas method), according to the World Bank.

Data through
2025
Published
Updated
Source retrieved

Latest full year

US$7,690

+7.9% vs 2024 (US$ 7,130)

Period
2025
Source
Source: World Bank

Poverty rate (national poverty line)

5.4%

−0.9 points vs 2021 (6.3%)

Period
2022
Source
Source: World Bank

Gini index

Estimated

33.3

−0.2 points vs 2023 (33.5)

Period
2024
Source
Source: World Bank

Life expectancy at birth

Estimated

76.6 years

+0.2 years vs 2023 (76.4 years)

Period
2024
Source
Source: World Bank

Urban population

Estimated

62.8%

+0.9 points vs 2024 (61.9%)

Period
2025
Source
Source: World Bank

Trend

GNI per capita (Atlas method), Thailand, by year1962 to 2025, US dollars. Complete years only.
02.5k5k7.5k10k19771993200920257.7k

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators.

Is Thailand a "third world" country?

"Third world" is a Cold War term for countries aligned with neither the Western nor the Soviet bloc, and it is no longer used in official statistics. International organisations now group countries by income. The World Bank sorts every economy into low, lower-middle, upper-middle or high income each July, using GNI per capita calculated with its Atlas method, which smooths out exchange-rate swings. Thailand is in the upper-middle group, alongside economies such as China, Malaysia and Mexico, and below the high-income threshold.

What the figures show

GNI per capita rose from US$ 1,540 in 1990 to US$ 7,690 in 2025. The share of people living below Thailand's national poverty line was 5.4% in 2022, down from 65.2% in 1988. Life expectancy at birth was 76.6 years in 2024, and 62.8% of people lived in urban areas.

Income is unevenly shared: the Gini index, which rises the more unequal incomes are, was 33.3 in 2024.

About this data

All figures are from the World Bank's World Development Indicators. The income classification is read from the World Bank's country record for Thailand and can change when thresholds are updated. Poverty and inequality come from household surveys that are not run every year, so their latest year can be earlier than for income.

Historical data

GNI per capita (Atlas method) and related measures, Thailand, by year1962–2025, newest first
YearGNI per capita (Atlas method) (US$)Poverty rate (national poverty line) (%)Gini indexLife expectancy at birth ( years)Urban population (%)
2025US$ 7,69062.8%
2024US$ 7,13033.376.6 years61.9%
2023US$ 7,21033.576.4 years60.9%
2022US$ 7,2205.4%34.375.3 years59.7%
2021US$ 7,1006.3%34.977.6 years58.5%
2020US$ 6,9106.8%35.077.3 years57.2%
2019US$ 7,0706.2%34.977.2 years55.9%
2018US$ 6,4309.9%36.477.2 years54.6%
2017US$ 5,8007.9%36.477.0 years49.2%
2016US$ 5,5508.6%36.776.8 years47.9%
2015US$ 5,5607.2%36.076.6 years47.0%
2014US$ 5,62010.5%37.076.3 years46.3%
2013US$ 5,58010.9%37.876.0 years45.8%
2012US$ 5,40012.6%39.375.6 years45.4%
2011US$ 4,84013.2%37.575.3 years44.8%
2010US$ 4,49016.4%39.475.0 years44.0%
2009US$ 4,06017.9%39.674.7 years43.0%
2008US$ 3,90020.4%40.374.2 years41.9%
2007US$ 3,48020.0%39.873.8 years40.7%
2006US$ 3,07021.9%41.873.3 years39.4%
2005US$ 2,77072.9 years38.1%
2004US$ 2,52026.8%42.572.1 years36.8%
2003US$ 2,17072.1 years35.4%
2002US$ 1,98032.4%41.971.8 years34.1%
2001US$ 1,96071.5 years32.7%
2000US$ 1,98042.3%42.871.2 years31.5%
1999US$ 1,98043.171.0 years30.2%
1998US$ 2,08038.6%41.570.7 years28.7%
1997US$ 2,68070.4 years27.2%
1996US$ 2,96035.4%42.969.9 years25.6%
1995US$ 2,75069.8 years24.1%
1994US$ 2,42042.5%43.569.7 years22.7%
1993US$ 2,17069.6 years21.3%
1992US$ 1,93050.0%47.969.4 years20.2%
1991US$ 1,71069.1 years19.4%
1990US$ 1,54058.0%45.368.9 years18.8%
1989US$ 1,37068.6 years18.5%
1988US$ 1,20065.2%43.868.2 years18.3%
1987US$ 99067.8 years18.1%
1986US$ 86067.3 years17.9%
1985US$ 82066.5 years17.8%
1984US$ 82065.6 years17.7%
1983US$ 79064.5 years17.6%
1982US$ 79063.6 years17.4%
1981US$ 79045.262.9 years17.3%
1980US$ 74062.2 years17.1%
1979US$ 63061.7 years16.8%
1978US$ 55061.3 years16.5%
1977US$ 47060.9 years16.1%
1976US$ 43060.4 years15.7%
1975US$ 40059.7 years15.2%
1974US$ 34059.0 years14.8%
1973US$ 27058.3 years14.3%
1972US$ 22057.7 years13.9%
1971US$ 22057.1 years13.6%
1970US$ 21056.5 years13.3%
1969US$ 20055.7 years13.1%
1968US$ 19055.0 years12.9%
1967US$ 17054.3 years12.7%
1966US$ 16053.7 years12.6%
1965US$ 14053.1 years12.5%
1964US$ 13052.5 years12.3%
1963US$ 12052.0 years12.2%
1962US$ 12051.4 years12.1%
196151.1 years12.0%
196050.6 years11.8%

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators.

Methodology

NY.GNP.PCAP.CD: Gross national income is the total income earned by all residents within an economic territory during an accounting period. It is equal to gross domestic product plus earned income receivable from abroad minus earned income payable abroad. This figure is converted to U.S. dollars using the World Bank Atlas method, and divided by the midyear population. GNI, calculated in national currency, is usually converted to U.S. dollars at official exchange rates for comparisons across economies, although an alternative rate is used when the official exchange rate is judged to diverge by an exceptionally large margin from the rate actually applied in international transactions. To smooth fluctuations in prices and exchange rates, a special Atlas method of conversion is used by the World Bank. This applies a conversion factor that averages the exchange rate for a given year and the two preceding years, adjusted for differences in rates of inflation between the country, and through 2000, the G-5 countries (France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States). From 2001, these countries include the Euro area, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars. SI.POV.NAHC: National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year. SI.POV.GINI: Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.

World Bank WDI figures are revised when the World Bank or the underlying national and UN sources revise them; the retrieval date is shown.

GNI per capita uses the World Bank Atlas method, which smooths exchange-rate movements; it is the measure used for the World Bank's income classification. Poverty and inequality figures come from household surveys and are not available every year.

Life expectancy and fertility are estimates from the UN World Population Prospects and national sources, and can be revised back in time.

These are modelled mid-year estimates of residents, not the civil registration count published by Thailand's Department of Provincial Administration, which counts registered Thai nationals and differs.

Sources

Latest source release: 13 July 2026. Retrieved by ThailandStats: 23 September 2026.

Income and poverty in Thailand (World Bank)

Source
World Development Indicators
Dataset
World Development Indicators: GNI per capita, Atlas method (NY.GNP.PCAP.CD), poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (SI.POV.NAHC), Gini index (SI.POV.GINI)
Last updated by publisher
13 July 2026
Retrieved
23 September 2026
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank)
Source releases used (3)

Life expectancy and fertility in Thailand (World Bank)

Source
World Development Indicators
Dataset
World Development Indicators: Life expectancy at birth, total (SP.DYN.LE00.IN), Fertility rate, total (SP.DYN.TFRT.IN)
Last updated by publisher
13 July 2026
Retrieved
23 September 2026
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank)
Source releases used (2)

Population of Thailand (World Bank estimates)

Source
World Development Indicators
Dataset
World Development Indicators: Population, total (SP.POP.TOTL)
Last updated by publisher
13 July 2026
Retrieved
23 September 2026
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank)
Source releases used (4)

Download the data

Income and poverty in Thailand (World Bank)

Long format: one row per period, place and breakdown.

Life expectancy and fertility in Thailand (World Bank)

Long format: one row per period, place and breakdown.

Population of Thailand (World Bank estimates)

Long format: one row per period, place and breakdown.

Cite this page

ThailandStats (2026). Is Thailand a Developing Country?. Updated 24 September 2026. https://thailandstats.com/economy/income-level

Please also cite the original publisher named under Sources.