Official population of Thailand 66,171,439, lower than previous figures

[PeteC]

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/of ... us-figures

An announcement formally published in the Royal Gazette on Wednesday stated that the official population of Thailand as of December 31, 2021, is 66,171,439. That figure is a bit under 1% of the world’s population. Of that population, just 973,656 of those people are not Thai nationals while the vast majority, 65,197,783, are native to Thailand.

The data of Thailand’s population was collected and determined by the Central Domicile Registration Office, and the director of that registration office signed the declaration on January 7. As is standard in any official law, regulation, or declaration in Thailand, it must first be published in the Royal Gazette to be considered fully official, and that publication was done today.

Bangkok, by far the most populous province in Thailand, recorded 5,527,994 people officially residing in the mega-city. The top 5 most populated provinces reveal that the Northeast and North of Thailand is far more populated than the South and West of the country.

The Northeastern provinces of Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani, and Khon Kaen were second, third, and fourth with 2,634,145 people, 1,868,519 people, and 1,790,863 people respectively. The fifth most populated province is the Northern province of Chiang Mai with 1,789,385 people living there.

The population count of 66.2 million people is about 4.5% lower than the 2018 population estimate of 69,428,453 as well as around 5% lower than the UN’s population estimate for Thailand in the middle of 2021, which appraised the country to have about 69.8 million people living there. Worldometer has estimated the population now to be slightly higher at just over 70 million people.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

[handdrummer]

How do they go about counting the population? In the US it's door to door, I know that's not done here.

[hhinner]

How do they go about counting the population? In the US it's door to door, I know that's not done here.

House registration.

[HHTel]

It's done by form filling in the UK. Criminal offence not to complete it.
UK census is due this year (every 10 years) and for the first time they're planning to collect the data online.

[handdrummer]

How do they go about counting the population? In the US it's door to door, I know that's not done here.

House registration.

That will give an overall population count but not province by province. Many people are registered in one province and live in another.

[hhinner]

And it's granularity is down to individual houses. But that's all they have. It gives an exact figure for the registered population of the country. That's why BKK population is only 5m+. Just based on house registrations.

They have no idea of the actual population of any city at any given time. There is no census day to provide such figures.

[lindosfan1]

It's done by form filling in the UK. Criminal offence not to complete it.
UK census is due this year (every 10 years) and for the first time they're planning to collect the data online.

The census was last year 2021 in the UK
.

[Nereus]

I don't know for sure, but as everyThai has an ID card from birth certificate until death certificate, I would assume that the published figure is taken from those records.
There is a "Fort Knox" in Bangkok called "central records", where all that, and a lot of other stuff, is kept.

[caller]

I find it hard to believe the province of Bkk only has a population less than twice the size of Korat. I know Korat is big, but outside of the city, its pretty empty. If Thailand works in the same way as some other Countries, where money is distributed to local Government based on population size, it's in Central Govt's interest to keep the population down.

[Big Boy]

I believe it. How many people living in Bangkok are actually registered there? Many of our extended family live and work in Bangkok, but they are registered in Isaan. You only have to look at the amount of traffic driving home at New Year, leaving Bangkok a virtual ghost town.

[STEVE G]

I believe it. How many people living in Bangkok are actually registered there? Many of our extended family live and work in Bangkok, but they are registered in Isaan. You only have to look at the amount of traffic driving home at New Year, leaving Bangkok a virtual ghost town.

Yes, when I was home last month there was a local election out in Hin Lek Fai and considerable effort was made to get all the people down from Bangkok to vote who were registered in the local area.

[caller]

I believe it. How many people living in Bangkok are actually registered there? Many of our extended family live and work in Bangkok, but they are registered in Isaan. You only have to look at the amount of traffic driving home at New Year, leaving Bangkok a virtual ghost town.

Yes, but as we know, they really live in Bkk and just visit home. So the demographics are misleading and it becomes a guessing game. To use a registration scheme that is patently unfit for the purpose of identifying population placement is worrying for a developing Country.

[Big Boy]

Yes, I don't disagree - just trying to explain the Thai logic (should the 2 words appear in the same sentence?)