Is living in Thailand better health-wise than elsewhere?

[webfact]

file photo

 

by Michael Bridge

Many Europeans like to retire to the sun, and Thailand offers an all year round great climate.

All of Southeast Asia experiences a warm, humid tropical climate characterized by monsoons and plenty of rainfall throughout the year.

Thailand is generally extremely hot, particularly between March and May with April being the hottest month (30°C/86°F). 

The monsoon season runs from May/June to October when the climate is still hot and humid with torrential rains. Rain in the south typically continues until December.

Therefore, Thailand is an ideal place to live for people who love the sun.

It offers a great alternative to people wanting to get away from the cold winters in the west. 

Residents are always comfortable wearing plain shirts and shorts since the country has a tropical climate.

Life expectancy 

 

Despite issues like tuberculosis and malaria, Thailand has had a successful history of health development. 

 

It has increased its life expectancy by more than six years since 2000. 

 

Thais now live 77.7 years on average. 

 

Diet has a lot to do with the country's health levels.

 

According to recent stats, Singapore is the best country in terms of quality of life in Southeast Asia, ranking 19th on the list. 

The next Southeast Asian country to appear is Thailand, which beat the Philippines by just a few points for the 38th spot.

Expats relish Thailand's climate and low cost of living, which make it an incredibly popular destination to start a new life, especially for retirees. 

 

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Accommodation is affordable and modern. The public transport and communications infrastructure are good. And you will enjoy a comfortable lifestyle in exotic surroundings.

If we were say back in Europe during the winter, we would be mainly staying indoors avoiding the high winds, icy conditions, heavy rain, and even snow! 

Not as healthy as riding a bike or jogging beside a sunny Thai beach.

How does climate change affect us in Southeast Asia?

Unchecked, climate change could shave eleven percent off the region's GDP by the end of the century as it takes a toll on key sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and fishing—along with human health and labor productivity—the ADB estimated in a 2015 report

 

Southeast Asia faces a dual challenge. 

 

It not only must adapt to climate change caused largely by greenhouse gases emitted over decades by advanced economies—and more recently by developing economies such as China and India—it also must alter development strategies that are increasingly contributing to global warming. 

 

The region’s growing reliance on coal and oil, along with deforestation, are undermining national pledges to curb emissions and embrace cleaner energy sources.

 

Climate change threatens all three important sectors of Thailand’s economy: agriculture, tourism, and trade.

 

Today, Thailand produces only 0.8% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions and has a lower per capita emission rate than the global average (3.25 metric tons in 2002, compared with 3.97 per capita worldwide).  

 

However, Thailand’s total CO2 emissions doubled between 1991 and 2002 and the government recognized its contribution to global warming. 

 

In April 2007, Bangkok hosted an International Panel on Climate Change summit and in the following year hosted UN climate change talks. 

 

The following month, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration published the 2007 Action Plan on Global Warming Mitigation, calling for reductions in Bangkok’s greenhouse gas emissions by 15% below currently projected levels. 

 

The effects of climate change, including higher surface temperatures, floods, droughts, severe storms, and sea-level rise, putting Thailand’s rice crops at risk and threaten to submerge Bangkok within 20 years. 

 

The damage to agriculture, coastal tourism, and the capital city as consequences of climate change will have enormous economic, cultural, and environmental impacts.

 

Just one degree of warming will destroy the rice crops that are central to the economy, and a few centimeters of sea level rise will submerge the capital city and devastate coastal tourism. 

 

Can we cope?

 

Many of us now have the Thailand Air Quality app on our mobiles, as the quality of air we breath can be quite bad at times.

 

Also, during the past decade, weather patterns in Thailand have fluctuated from severe droughts to severe floods.

So even with all this going on, do you feel you can obtain a healthier existence in the “land of smiles” say compared to living in Europe or North America?

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-04-13

 

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[garyk]

If you don't mind chocking to death 6 months a year it is great.

[mania]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thais now live 77.7 years on average. 

 

But as garyk also said the  smog is terrible & that photo is obviously one of the Koh's/islands

 

Some reports put Bangkok during bad AQI days as equal to smoking 20 cigarettes See attached pic of Bangkok

add to the bad air month the highest road death rates and it is hard to tout Thailand as a long life destination

 

 

Perhaps a happy life yes of course depending ion your situation, But long healthy life?

Better than elsewhere? Hard sell on that one

 

We do live at times in our Thai home but the majority of the year we live in a place that the AQI is perfect most of the time

& where road deaths per year do not equal a single day's death count every day in Thailand

[Tarteso]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

do you feel you can obtain a healthier existence in the “land of smiles”

Niet ???? 

[blazes]

I think all people on this thread would agree that clean air is a desirable goal everywhere. That's one thing.  But getting the usual Climate Catastrophe thundering sermons is quite another thing.

 

The ideal (to get to the point of the thread) is to live in Thailand for 6 months (October to March) and your home country for the other six months.  (So long as your home country is not Russia or China, of course.)

[jollyhangmon]

... 555, sure, sure, as long as one avoids breathing for a start - but note, that doesn't really work out too well for some folks either ...

 

[cheapcanuck]

I travel to Thailand (southern islands) yearly for a month or two or three. When in Thailand I feel 20 years younger. I loose a minimum of 20 lbs per visit. Am a lot more active by walking, hiking, biking, swimming, diving, etc, etc.

So my answer to the question is YES, Thailand is a healthier environment to live in.

[hotchilli]

Life expectancy is good if you stay off the roads.

[cardinalblue]

For 7 months of the year, CM has decent air quality….but from Jan - May or until the sustained rains come, it has terrible AQ numbers, unhealthy and bad to raise children in….air pollution is one of the top killers in the world especially in parts of Asia.

[Venom]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Not as healthy as riding a bike or jogging beside a sunny Thai beach.

...????

 

[vandeventer]

4 hours ago, garyk said:

If you don't mind chocking to death 6 months a year it is great.

Yes, but it doesn't end there. The Thai food has too much salt and sugar and msg plus the chemicals sprayed on your fruit and vegs. are banned in a lot of countries. I could go on and on but most of us are not here for our health. It's the Thai people that draws us here and here we will stay.

[david_dyer]

i live in the little southern community of thasala and it is perfect, no polution, good fresh sea air all the time, not much traffic and no tourists.

 

but i hate living here now......the duff duff duff duff <deleted> music in this area has made me hate thailand, and the stress of this <deleted> misic playing 24/7 makes it worth never returning.

 

so no, thailand is not a healthy place to live, kings cross in sydney was quiter than this

[vandeventer]

23 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Life expectancy is good if you stay off the roads.

In my town the ave. age before death is 58 I should have been dead years ago!

[spidermike007]

It depends where you live. If you can find a smaller town or a rural area you like, it can be quite nice. 

 

For me it is alot less stressful and more joyful than living in the US. If I was wealthy, I would stay in Thailand 3 or 4 months a year, and divide my time at a few other countries. 

 

But for someone on a limited income the quality of life is good. I love alot of Thais and even those living in Bangkok, as I consider them to be the most well adjusted big metro people I have ever encountered. Most big cities of the world these days are populated by disenchanted, listless, occasionally hostile, unfriendly, relatively unhappy, heavy hearted, hurried, harried, and generally joyless souls. Not Bangkok. And generally not Thailand. They are lighthearted, reasonably friendly, helpful, fun, animated, and it feels as if they are leading lives that are somewhat fulfilling. Very unique for such a huge city anywhere.
 
Lastly, Bangkok has what I consider to be the highest concentration of beautiful women on the planet, by far. One only has to stand in one spot for a minute or two, to see an absolute stunner. Try that in KL. Or Jakarta. Or Tehran. Or Shanghai. Or Chicago. Or London. 
 
I do not live in Bangkok, but visit a lot. And I love every day I can spend in that great city. And I enjoy my life in Thailand, now that I have decided I can't afford to leave. LOL. 

[PeterA]

If you are trying to clean up the air and claim your countries air (Thailand) is clean, look at every tiny village. I would bet good money there are at least a few people making charcoal every day or night. We have a village of about 500 people. I know of 4 large burning operations. Many nights the air is thick with smoke. If I keep the windows open, a greasy black gum coats everything. 

If this is the typical village, how many thousands of people are making charcoal in the country? If you have never seen this, thick black smoke will cloud the area all night. There may be laws against it, but there is no one to enforce it. It is not just Chiang Mai, it is all across the country. 

[Whale]

39 minutes ago, cheapcanuck said:

I travel to Thailand (southern islands) yearly for a month or two or three. When in Thailand I feel 20 years younger. I loose a minimum of 20 lbs per visit. Am a lot more active by walking, hiking, biking, swimming, diving, etc, etc.

So my answer to the question is YES, Thailand is a healthier environment to live in.

for the best two months of weather. The rest of the time is too hot to venture out for serious exercise except at sun up.

[bang saen guy]

Great here except the drivers, air and the food

[Owiee]

5 hours ago, garyk said:

If you don't mind chocking to death 6 months a year it is great.

In my area smoke and smog is not an overwhelming issue most of the year, l think the bigger problem is the high levels of diabetes and alcohol abuse. 

[Puwa]

This reads like an AI-generated article

[DUNROAMIN]

Plenty of sun here, however, dont come here if you have respitory problems or suffer from pollon allergies.

[DaveInSukhumvit]

It is interesting to see so may posts about Air Pollution.  I agree.  According to some experts speaking at Foreign Correspondents Club, the mortality associated with AQI is comparable to smoking.  I choose not to smoke, but I do love Thailand...

[ratcatcher]

Is living in Thailand better health-wise than elsewhere?

That surely depends on where you have chosen to live in the country.  I chose to reside in Phichit province which is farming country, with no major industrial activity, and to most farangs, dead boring.. As a rule the air is much cleaner than the northern mountainous provinces or the Bangkok metropolitan areas.. Being next to the Nan river is also a help because of wind flow down the river. OTOH if you happen to choose to live in Bangkok or one of the bigger cities, air pollution increases significantly. 

Not only air quality is related to health. As others have stated, serious other problems exist which can affect one's health. Excessive noise from neighbors, traffic problems and other social problems like stray dogs etc., can all have an effect on our health.

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, david_dyer said:

kings cross in sydney was quiter than this

Kings Cross once a red light district many moons ago, is now a trendy upmarket area, besides they have strict noise pollution rules in Sydney.

 

I suppose at the end of the day it's the luck of the draw, I chose the country life away from neighbours, only music, if any that I can hear is from a distance when there is a festival of sorts and it is not enough to bother me.

 

As for answering the topics question, the environment in Thailand is much harsher than the 4 seasons I was used to, that said, with a well insulated and comfortable home, it beats the hell out of working 5/7ths if not 6/7ths of your life and in an office environment for most who would also be stressed out from the work, not happy having to travel in the traffic and have very little time for themselves.

 

Retirement in the old country for most is not sustainable, just a couple of examples, rents shy high, your pension would just about cover your rent if you didn't own a property outright, then it would be to the local grocery store for tonight's dinner, canned dog food.

 

The cost of living is crazy, a kilo of chicken breast will set you back 250 baht vs 88 baht here and you can keep adding on from there.

 

The cost of living here is way cheaper than back home if you go easy on the imports where they stick it to you.

 

I mean what's a drivers licence cost here for 5 years, 300 odd baht, home country you would be lucky to see any change from 4,750 baht.

 

Living here, you have to take the good with the bad, it's not perfect, but perfect is what you make of every situation.

 

I'm good, just have to turn off when it's bad and wait for the good to come up again, that said, it's mostly good and relaxing living the life here in Thailand.

 

Whatever you do, don't talk health insurance costs because that is in the bad, but part of life ????

 

[Orinoco]

1 hour ago, jollyhangmon said:

... 555, sure, sure, as long as one avoids breathing for a start - but note, that doesn't really work out too well for some folks either ...

 

Or Thailand will get you with the,  pesticides in the food.

hormones and heavy metals in the fish.

if that fails, they will murder you on the roads.

Now even more  amazing Thailand   

 

 

 

 

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, cheapcanuck said:

I travel to Thailand (southern islands) yearly for a month or two or three. When in Thailand I feel 20 years younger. I loose a minimum of 20 lbs per visit. Am a lot more active by walking, hiking, biking, swimming, diving, etc, etc.

So my answer to the question is YES, Thailand is a healthier environment to live in.

Than where please?

[Expat68]

2 hours ago, blazes said:

I think all people on this thread would agree that clean air is a desirable goal everywhere. That's one thing.  But getting the usual Climate Catastrophe thundering sermons is quite another thing.

 

The ideal (to get to the point of the thread) is to live in Thailand for 6 months (October to March) and your home country for the other six months.  (So long as your home country is not Russia or China, of course.)

The older you get you would eventually get sick of all the hassle of flying, for me it takes 24 hours door to door

[4MyEgo]

14 minutes ago, Orinoco said:

Or Thailand will get you with the,  pesticides in the food.

hormones and heavy metals in the fish.

if that fails, they will murder you on the roads.

Now even more  amazing Thailand   

At the end of the day, we are all heading to the same place, so eat as healthy as you can, exercise and live your life best you can.

 

Switch off from what is happening out there as we have no control over it, the only control we have is how we see ourselves maximising our enjoyment while we are here for the short time that we are.

 

Nowhere is perfect, perfect is what you make of it, and between you and me, there is no such thing, so make believe, it's better than thinking about everything else that is on the negative side of life.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, blazes said:

  But getting the usual Climate Catastrophe thundering sermons is quite another thing.

 

 

Sorry if climate change offends you. It's based on facts and observation, not theory.

You can say gravity is just a theory too. Just step off the balcony on the fourteenth floor of a condo in Pattaya, and watch how quickly the hypothesis becomes reality.

[jerrymahoney]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Lastly, Bangkok has what I consider to be the highest concentration of beautiful women on the planet, by far. One only has to stand in one spot for a minute or two, to see an absolute stunner.

Or ride the SkyTrain. I'm just a country boy just visiting Bangkok and have been distracted a few times to the point that I've almost missed my stop.

[RocketDog]

5 hours ago, garyk said:

If you don't mind chocking to death 6 months a year it is great.

Depends on where you live. Some places are quite tolerable, others aren't.