Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS in Thailand
Thailand: Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS was 12.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Thailand, 2000–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2025, proportion of total government spending on essential services in Thailand stood at 12.6%. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and down 38.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services in Thailand peaked at 28.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 12.6%, in 2025.
Thailand ranks 101st of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS in Thailand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 28.4% | — |
| 2001 | 24.2% | -14.6% |
| 2002 | 16.2% | -33.1% |
| 2003 | 20.9% | +28.6% |
| 2004 | 21.5% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 20.5% | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 18.5% | -16.0% |
| 2008 | 18.2% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 18.2% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 16.2% | -10.8% |
| 2011 | 22.6% | +39.5% |
| 2012 | 21.4% | -5.5% |
| 2013 | 19.1% | -10.6% |
| 2014 | 20.5% | +7.4% |
| 2015 | 20.6% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 19.8% | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 18.4% | -7.3% |
| 2018 | 17.2% | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 17.0% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 15.4% | -9.3% |
| 2021 | 14.7% | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 14.6% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 14.2% | -3.1% |
| 2024 | 13.1% | -7.7% |
| 2025 | 12.6% | -3.6% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 12.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.2%, 95% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 12.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.0%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS in Thailand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +39.5% | 16.2% | 22.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.9% | 16.2% | 28.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 16.2% | 22.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.1% | 12.6% | 15.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
- 98 New Zealand 12.7% compare
- 99 Ukraine 12.7% compare
- 100 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12.6% compare
- 102 Trinidad and Tobago 12.6% compare
- 103 Malta 12.5% compare
- 104 Cyprus 12.5% compare
More education data for Thailand
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 243,991 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 13,596 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 758,147 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 716,498 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.26 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.45 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0621 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of total government spending on essential services in Thailand?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Thailand was 12.6% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 28.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.6% in 2025.
- How does Thailand rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services?
- Thailand ranks 101st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Thailand data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, education [UIS methodology] (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).