Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of Burma, you would:
Health
live 9.5 years longer
In Burma, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.
have 57.7% more access to essential health services
Burma scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Thailand scores 82 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Burma, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.
have 28.5% fewer doctors per person
Burma has 7.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.
be 5.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 74.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Burma, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
make 5.4 times more money
Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.
Life
be 81.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burma, approximately 185.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.
be 76.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Burma, approximately 32.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
have 50.7% fewer children
In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 30.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Thailand, about 90.9% do as of 2024.
be 16.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burma, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Geography
see 66.8% more coastline
Burma has a total of 1,930 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.
Safety
be 20.1% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Burma, 84% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Thailand, that number is 67% as of 2022.
be 31.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Burma, road accidents kill 19.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.2 times more home broadband
Burma has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.
use 8.0 times more electricity
Burma uses 368 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.
live with 4.0 times more strain on fresh water
Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
Environment
be 59.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.8 times more CO2
Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burma vs. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.