If you lived in Thailand instead of Mali, you would:

Health

live 15.9 years longer

In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 10.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.

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have 2.9 times more doctors per person

Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.

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have 100.0% more access to essential health services

Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Thailand scores 82 as of 2021.

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be 23.1% more likely to be obese

In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.

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be 4.0 times more likely to die by suicide

Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 72.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.

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be 88.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mali, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Thailand, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2022.

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make 6.8 times more money

Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.

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Life

be 90.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mali, approximately 367.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.6 times more likely to be literate

In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Thailand, it is 91.1% as of 2022.

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be 83.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Mali, approximately 47.5 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.

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have 79.5% fewer children

In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 83.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% 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.

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be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Thailand, about 90.9% do as of 2024.

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be 15.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Mali, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 80% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 39.7% less on education

Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 19.2% more on healthcare

Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 25.7% more likely to die in a road accident

In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 19.3 times more home broadband

Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.

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live with 2.9 times more strain on fresh water

Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 55.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.

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emit 13.2 times more CO2

Mali emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

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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