Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Thailand instead of United States, you would:

Health

be 72.4% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Thailand, that number is 10.0% of people as of 2016.

live 2.9 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022. In Thailand, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 74.6% less likely to be unemployed

In United States, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2018. In Thailand, that number is 1.0% as of 2019.

be 34.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Thailand, however, that number is 9.9% as of 2018.

pay a 11.6% lower top tax rate

United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In Thailand, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

make 71.3% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $60,200 as of 2020, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $17,300 as of 2020.

Life

be 94.7% more likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 19.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Thailand, 37.0 women do as of 2017.

be 25.1% more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.2 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.

have 17.4% fewer children

In United States, there are approximately 12.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Thailand, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 14.3% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Thailand, about 78.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 40.0% less on education

United States spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2014. Thailand spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 77.4% less on healthcare

United States spends 16.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Thailand, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 83.8% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, The Revenue Department, Government of Thailand, Internal Revenue Service.

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.
Read more

How big is Thailand compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Thailand.or United States It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.