Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Thailand instead of French Polynesia, you would:

Economy

be 94.1% less likely to be unemployed

In French Polynesia, 11.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 0.7% as of 2024.

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be 72.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In French Polynesia, 19.7% live below the poverty line as of 2009. In Thailand, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2022.

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Life

be 47.0% more likely to die during infancy

In French Polynesia, approximately 4.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Thailand, on the other hand, 6.5 children do as of 2022.

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have 22.7% fewer children

In French Polynesia, there are approximately 12.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025. In Thailand, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025.

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Basic Needs

be 23.8% more likely to have internet access

In French Polynesia, approximately 72.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Thailand, about 90.0% do as of 2023.

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Geography

see 27.5% more coastline

French Polynesia has a total of 2,525 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.

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The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Thailand: At a glance

Thailand is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 510,890 sq km. A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US treaty ally in 1954 after sending troops to Korea and later fighting alongside the United States in Vietnam. Thailand since 2005 has experienced several rounds of political turmoil including a military coup in 2006 that ousted then Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat, followed by large-scale street protests by competing political factions in 2008, 2009, and 2010. THAKSIN's youngest sister, YINGLAK Chinnawat, in 2011 led the Puea Thai Party to an electoral win and assumed control of the government. A blanket amnesty bill for individuals involved in street protests, altered at the last minute to include all political crimes - including all convictions against THAKSIN - triggered months of large-scale anti-government protests in Bangkok beginning in November 2013. In early May 2014 YINGLAK was removed from office and in late May 2014 the Royal Thai Army staged a coup against the caretaker government. Thailand has also experienced violence associated with the ethno-nationalist insurgency in Thailand's southern Malay-Muslim majority provinces. Since January 2004, thousands have been killed and wounded in the insurgency.
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How big is Thailand compared to French Polynesia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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