Country profile · Southeast Asia
Thailand
Thailand has about 71.6 million people (UN, 2025). King Vajiralongkorn has reigned since 2016, and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has led the government since September 2025. The United States is Thailand's treaty ally, and China is its biggest trading partner. Thailand fought two rounds of border war with Cambodia in 2025, and the land border is still closed.
Where Thailand ranks
All rankings →Which alliances is Thailand in?
All alliances →Who runs Thailand?
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was born on September 13, 1966, in Bangkok. His father founded the construction company Sino-Thai Engineering and was interior minister. Anutin studied engineering at Hofstra University in New York. He is a licensed pilot who has flown organs for transplant as a volunteer since 2014, and he plays the saxophone. As health minister he took cannabis off the narcotics list in 2022. Parliament made him prime minister on September 5, 2025, after the Constitutional Court removed Paetongtarn Shinawatra over a leaked phone call with Hun Sen, Cambodia's former prime minister. In the election of February 8, 2026, Anutin's Bhumjaithai party rose from 71 seats to 192 of 500 (chart). He formed a coalition with Pheu Thai and small parties. Voters also backed writing a new constitution, which would be Thailand's 21st since 1932. The army has seized power in about a dozen successful coups since 1932, the last in 2014. King Vajiralongkorn has reigned since 2016. Insulting the king can bring 3 to 15 years in prison.
- Bhumjaithai 192
- People's Party (opposition) 120
- Pheu Thai (74), Kla Tham (58), Democrats (21) and others 188
Photo (October 2025): Daniel Torok, The White House, Wikimedia Commons, public domain (cropped)
Who are Thailand's allies and rivals?
The United States has been Thailand's treaty ally since the Manila Pact of 1954. At the peak of the Vietnam War in 1969, about 49,000 US personnel were based in Thailand. Thailand hosts Cobra Gold, the largest military exercise in mainland Asia. About 8,000 troops from 30 countries took part in 2026. China is Thailand's biggest trading partner. It sold Thailand 60 tanks and a submarine, which is due in 2028. In February 2025 Thailand sent 40 Uyghurs back to China, and the United States put visa bans on Thai officials. Japanese brands sell about 69% of the cars bought in Thailand. Singapore passed Japan as the largest foreign investor in early 2026. Cambodia is Thailand's rival. The two countries fought over their border in July and December 2025. Malaysia hosts peace talks between Thailand and rebels in the Muslim-majority far south, where about 7,800 people have died since 2004. Thailand also hosts about 80,000 refugees from Myanmar in nine camps.
Allies and partners
United StatesTreaty ally since 1954; hosts Cobra Gold
ChinaBiggest trading partner; sells tanks and a submarine
JapanJapanese brands sell about 69% of cars in Thailand
SingaporeLargest foreign investor since early 2026
MalaysiaHosted the July 2025 ceasefire talks with Cambodia
Rivals
CambodiaBorder fighting in July and December 2025
- Preah Vihear Temple the International Court of Justice gave to Cambodia in 1962. A 2013 ruling gave Cambodia the whole hilltop.
- Ta Krabey Temple claimed by both countries. Thai troops took it on December 15, 2025, and still hold it.
- U-Tapao Thai navy air base. US bombers flew from here during the Vietnam War.
- Myawaddy Myanmar border town with scam compounds. Thailand cut off their electricity, fuel and internet in February 2025.
- Narathiwat One of three southern provinces with a Malay Muslim insurgency since 2004. About 7,800 people killed.
- Thailand
- Partner
- Rival
Who does Thailand trade with?
Thailand sold a record $339.6 billion of goods abroad in 2025 and bought $344.9 billion (Ministry of Commerce). The United States is the biggest buyer, with about a fifth of exports (chart). Exports to the United States rose 54% in 2025, led by computers, parts and phones. Thailand's surplus with the United States reached about $51 billion. China supplies about 31% of imports, and Thailand's deficit with China was $67.9 billion. Chinese car brands won 21.5% of Thai car sales in 2025, up from 4% in 2021. Since July 24, 2026, most Thai goods have paid an extra 12.5% tariff in the United States. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul hopes to sign a trade agreement with the United States in November. Thailand had 33.0 million foreign visitors in 2025, down from 39.9 million in 2019, and Chinese visitors fell by a third. The economy grew 2.4% in 2025, and the IMF expects 2.1% in 2026. Household debt is 85% of GDP.
Buys from
Share of Thailand's imports
- China31.4%
- Japan8.6%
Taiwan7.5%- United States6.1%
United Arab Emirates4.9%
Goods, 2025. UN Comtrade, as reported by Thailand.
Why are Thailand and Cambodia fighting?
France and Siam, as Thailand was then called, set the 817 km border in treaties of 1904 and 1907, and French officers mapped it. Thailand rejects parts of the French map line. In 1962 the International Court of Justice gave the temple of Preah Vihear to Cambodia, and in 2013 it gave Cambodia the whole hilltop. Other temples, such as Ta Muen Thom and Ta Krabey, were never marked out. On May 28, 2025 a Cambodian soldier was killed in a short firefight. Landmines then wounded Thai soldiers, and on July 24 fighting broke out with rockets and Thai F-16 air strikes. A ceasefire began on July 28, after US President Donald Trump threatened to halt trade talks. Fighting resumed on December 8, and a new ceasefire took effect on December 27. UCDP counts about 250 battle deaths in 2025. Thailand's army is about three times the size of Cambodia's (chart). Thai troops still hold Ta Krabey and other disputed hills, and the land border has been closed since June 2025.
Active troops in Southeast Asia
Full ranking →
Vietnam450,000
Indonesia433,700- Thailand360,850
Philippines162,450
Myanmar134,000- Cambodia124,300
IISS, The Military Balance, 2024 to 2026 editions
Why is Thailand's population shrinking?
Thailand registered 416,574 births in 2025, the fewest in about 75 years, and 559,684 deaths (Department of Provincial Administration). The registered population has fallen for five years in a row, to about 65.8 million at the end of 2025. The UN estimate of 71.6 million is higher, partly because it counts migrants who are not registered. Thai women now have about 1.0 to 1.2 children each on average, among the lowest rates in the world (chart). About 2.1 is needed to keep a population stable. About one Thai in five is 60 or older. The median age rose from 17.3 in 1975 to 40.6 in 2025 (UN). The government wants to raise the birth rate to at least 1.0 by 2027. It pays a birth grant of 15,000 baht and 1,600 baht a month per child up to age six. About 4 million foreign workers are registered, most from Myanmar and Cambodia. The UN expects Thailand to have about 66 million people in 2050.
Children per woman in East and Southeast Asia, 2025
Full ranking →
South Korea0.75- Taiwan0.86
- Singapore0.96
- China1.02
- Thailand1.19
- Japan1.23
- Philippines1.88
- Vietnam1.88
UN World Population Prospects 2024