Many Thais Still Struggling to Afford the Basics

BANGKOK -- After the country's 2014 coup d'état, Thailand's economy seemed to recover with GDP growth rising from 1% in 2014 to 4.1% in 2018. However, since 2016, the numbers of Thais who are struggling to afford the basics have remained elevated, particularly among the poorest Thais.

Ahead of an anticipated slowdown in economic growth in 2019 and again in 2020, 42% of all Thais in 2018 said they had struggled to afford food their families needed, and 30% said they had struggled to afford shelter.

In 2015, Thailand was one of the countries in Southeast Asia with the lowest percentage of people who were struggling to afford food -- at just 15%. Only Singapore, at 5%, had a lower percentage. The picture looked markedly different three years later. Thais are now more likely to be struggling to afford food than their regional neighbors in Singapore (6%), Vietnam (19%) and Malaysia (29%).

	2015	2018
	% Yes	% Yes
Singapore	5	6
Thailand	15	42
Malaysia	18	29
Vietnam	26	19
Indonesia	32	41
Myanmar	54	62
Philippines	64	67
Cambodia	65	64
Laos	NA	61
Gallup World Poll

While Thais in both the highest and lowest income groups are more likely to be struggling to afford food than they were just a few years ago, the inequality between the two groups has become a chasm. Since 2016, Thais in the poorest 20% income group have been about twice as likely as those in the richest 20% income group to report struggling to afford food. In the most recent measure, 54% in the poorest 20% said this was the case, compared with 27% in the richest 20%.

At a minimum, this suggests that not all Thais have benefited from the increasing GDP growth in these years. Moreover, as GDP growth is starting to decline, it is more worrisome for the poorer segments of the Thai population.

	2015	2018
	% Yes	% Yes
Thailand	15	42
Poorest 20% income group	16	54
Richest 20% income group	18	27
Gallup World Poll

Against this backdrop, Thais' confidence in their national government has gradually edged downward again, even as their national economic picture has been improving. After peaking at 72% in the first year of Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha's military government, Thais' confidence dropped gradually before stabilizing at 61% in 2017 and 2018.

However, instead of losing favor among the poorest Thais, the government has lost confidence among those in the richest 20% of the population.

Implications

The data suggest that headed into an extended period of a potential economic slowdown, the national government will need to acknowledge the large percentage of Thais who are struggling to meet their basic needs, and allocate resources and opportunities to mitigate the inequality.

For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details.

Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works.