The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Thailand fits inside the United States 19 times
Thailand: 513,115 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 6.2 times as long as Thailand’s
Thailand: 3,219 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 3,625 m above Thailand’s
Thailand: 2,565 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of the United States, versus 43% of Thailand
Thailand: 43.3% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 4.8 times as many people as Thailand
Thailand: 71.6 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Thailand is 3.8 times as densely populated as the United States
Thailand: 140 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 5.3 cm taller than in Thailand
Thailand: 171.6 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 3.9 cm taller than in Thailand
Thailand: 159.4 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Thailand is 1.6 years older than in the United States
Thailand: 39.7 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.4 more children on average than in Thailand
Thailand: 1.2 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 16% in Thailand
Thailand: 16% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United States hosts 14% more refugees per resident than Thailand
Thailand: 1.2 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Thailand none
Thailand: 0 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Thailand and the United States are practically level
Thailand: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 53 times the size of Thailand’s
Thailand: $577 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 3.4 times as much per person as Thailand
Thailand: Int$26,250 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Thailand (Gini 8.5 points higher)
Thailand: 33.3 (2024) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.1% of people in the United States live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Thailand
Thailand: 0% (2024) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 0.8% in Thailand
Thailand: 0.8% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Thailand 1.0%
Thailand: 1% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Thailand’s central government collects 15% of GDP in tax, the United States’ 11%
Thailand: 15.2% (2024) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 3.3× Thailand’s
Thailand: 31% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 41 times as much on health per person as Thailand
Thailand: $327 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 2.3 years longer than in Thailand
Thailand: 76.6 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Thailand is 40% more likely to die before turning one than in the United States
Thailand: 7.7 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 6.8 times as many doctors per person as Thailand
Thailand: 0.5 per 1,000 (2021) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United States has 12% more hospital beds per person than Thailand
Thailand: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United States is 39% higher than in Thailand
Thailand: 9.6 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 16% in Thailand
Thailand: 15.5% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Thailand smoke, versus 16% in the United States
Thailand: 17.8% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 0.52 points higher than in Thailand
Thailand: 6.30 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 21% more alcohol than in Thailand
Thailand: 7.9 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 5 times as much meat per person as Thailand
Thailand: 24.5 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,092 kcal more food per person per day than Thailand
Thailand: 2,855 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Thailand put in 388 more hours a year than in the United States
Thailand: 2,177 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 4.9 years longer than in Thailand
Thailand: 9 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Thailand welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019)
Thailand: 0.56 (2019) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 18 more World Heritage sites than Thailand (27 against 9)
Thailand: 9 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Thailand 41
Thailand: 41 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 91% in Thailand
Thailand: 91% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 12% faster than in Thailand
Thailand: 360 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Thailand and the United States are practically level
Thailand: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 63% in Thailand
Thailand: 63% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Thailand has 161 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113
Thailand: 161 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 36 times as long as Thailand’s
Thailand: 4,092 km (2017) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 3.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Thailand
Thailand: 0.72 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 39% of Thailand, but only 34% of the United States
Thailand: 38.7% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 3.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Thailand
Thailand: 3.7 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of the United States’ electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Thailand
Thailand: 16.6% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Thailand carries 3.1 times as much fine dust as in the United States
Thailand: 23.3 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Thailand: no data · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Thailand are 35% deadlier than in the United States
Thailand: 35.6 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Thailand is on average 16.5 °C warmer than the United States
Thailand: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Thailand gets 2 times as much rain as the United States
Thailand: 1,657 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Thailand bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Thailand fits inside the United States 19 times.
Which has more people, Thailand or the United States?
The United States has 4.8 times as many people as Thailand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Thailand or the United States?
People in the United States live 2.3 years longer than in Thailand. Life expectancy at birth is 76.6 years in Thailand and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Thailand or the United States?
Men in the United States are 5.3 cm taller than in Thailand (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
