MigrantoThai Diaspora
1.2M Thais live abroad — 2% of the population of Thailand
Thai diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 52% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| USA | 307741 |
| South Korea | 199861 |
| Australia | 109845 |
| Taiwan | 80032 |
| Malaysia | 70718 |
| Japan | 61263 |
| Sweden | 47636 |
| Cambodia | 34957 |
| Norway | 24801 |
| Switzerland | 22654 |
| Hong Kong | 20710 |
| Canada | 19110 |
| Netherlands | 17831 |
| Brunei | 16790 |
| Denmark | 15432 |
| Bangladesh | 14210 |
| Finland | 13078 |
| New Zealand | 12405 |
| UAE | 11996 |
| Italy | 11785 |
| Belgium | 10952 |
| Indonesia | 10481 |
| Austria | 7083 |
| China | 5498 |
| Kuwait | 4352 |
| Laos | 3718 |
| Libya | 3215 |
| Qatar | 2447 |
| Iceland | 2265 |
| Portugal | 1885 |
| Macao | 1722 |
| Hungary | 1661 |
| Czech Republic | 1363 |
| Bahrain | 1209 |
| Egypt | 945 |
| Luxembourg | 744 |
| South Africa | 737 |
| Mali | 587 |
| North Korea | 584 |
| Brazil | 566 |
| Malta | 556 |
| Greece | 407 |
| Slovenia | 356 |
| Maldives | 348 |
| Sri Lanka | 279 |
| Cyprus | 272 |
| Panama | 261 |
| Seychelles | 246 |
| Faroe Islands | 164 |
| Greenland | 151 |
| Slovakia | 116 |
| Estonia | 111 |
| Liechtenstein | 92 |
| Namibia | 81 |
| Bulgaria | 78 |
| Cayman Islands | 66 |
| Bhutan | 64 |
| Venezuela | 62 |
| East Timor | 59 |
| Guinea | 45 |
| Latvia | 27 |
| Lithuania | 21 |
| Costa Rica | 10 |
| Bolivia | 10 |
| Puerto Rico | 6 |
By region
44% of the diaspora lives in Asia
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Key facts
The Thai diaspora in numbers
The community in South Korea is growing fastest
The number of Thais living in South Korea has grown 171% since 2015, from 73.9K to 199.9K.
Most Thais abroad live in the USA
26% of the diaspora lives in the USA, while the next country accounts for just 17%.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
4 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: South Korea, Norway, Finland. South Korea climbed from outside the top 20 to #2.
The diaspora is spread more widely than in 1990
The largest country's share fell from 39% to 26%.
The share of the diaspora living in North America has declined since 1990
40.7% of the diaspora lived in North America in 1990, compared with 27.7% today.
Thai diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 298071 |
| 1995 | 479776 |
| 2000 | 607699 |
| 2005 | 648137 |
| 2010 | 724614 |
| 2015 | 907298 |
| 2020 | 1075834 |
| 2024 | 1178757 |
Largest communities over time
Thais living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | USA | South Korea | Australia | Taiwan | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 115752 | 15 | 13659 | 5197 | 51373 |
| 1995 | 176243 | 548 | 18987 | 69248 | 54713 |
| 2000 | 168186 | 3879 | 23113 | 138370 | 58053 |
| 2005 | 194540 | 9883 | 31615 | 106320 | 61394 |
| 2010 | 240660 | 15278 | 51298 | 65344 | 64841 |
| 2015 | 271800 | 73878 | 66376 | 69831 | 68074 |
| 2020 | 283039 | 171058 | 88230 | 63793 | 69539 |
| 2024 | 307741 | 199861 | 109845 | 80032 | 70718 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of Thais in each country has changed since the selected year
Thais among immigrants in other countries
Where Thais make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Thais live outside Thailand?
Around 1.2M Thais live abroad, the world's #66 largest diaspora.
Where do most Thais abroad live?
Most Thais live in USA, South Korea and Australia — these three countries account for about 52% of all Thais living abroad.
Which country has the largest Thai population outside Thailand?
USA is home to the largest Thai community abroad — 307.7K people, about 26% of all Thais living abroad.
What share of the population of Thailand lives abroad?
About 2% of the population of Thailand lives abroad — that's 1.2M out of a total population of 71.7M.
Is the Thai diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of Thais living abroad has grown from 907.3K to 1.2M, about 30%.
Where does the data on the Thai diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in Thailand who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
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Living in Thailand
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