Languages spoken in Thailand
Asia · Capital: Bangkok · Population 69.9 million
The official language of Thailand is Thai. An estimated 80% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 55.9 million people. After Thai, the most widely spoken are English at 27% and Northeastern Thai at 24%. Thai belongs to the Tai-Kadai language family. Thai is not recorded in any of Thailand's four neighbours. In total, eight languages are recorded in Thailand, and their shares add up to 157.1% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.6 of them.
What languages are spoken in Thailand?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| ThaiTai-Kadai | 80% | Official | 55.9 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 27% | Spoken | 18.9 million |
| Northeastern ThaiTai-Kadai | 24% | Spoken | 16.8 million |
| Northern ThaiTai-Kadai | 9.6% | Spoken | 6.7 million |
| Southern ThaiTai-Kadai | 8% | Spoken | 5.6 million |
| Pattani MalayAustronesian | 5% | Spoken | 3.5 million |
| ChineseSino-Tibetan | 1.8% | Spoken | 1.3 million |
| Northern KhmerAustroasiatic | 1.7% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Thailand?
The official language of Thailand is Thai. Thai is spoken by an estimated 80% of the population, or roughly 55.9 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Thai in Thailand?
An estimated 80% of Thailand's 69.9 million people speak Thai, which works out at roughly 55.9 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Thailand
- Capital
- Bangkok
- Population
- 69.9 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 513,120 km²
- Currency
- THB
- Languages recorded
- 8
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- TH / THA / 764
Which countries border Thailand?
Thailand shares a land border with four countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Malaysia. None of them records Thai, the most widely spoken language in Thailand, so the land borders here are also language borders.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.