Wallich Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Are any substantiated/official figures available giving the number of Foreigners living in Thailand on a permanent basis? A nationality breakdown would also be of interest. Thankyou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorG Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 The lack of responses would suggest "no". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
does Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 It's an interesting question. My guess would be that the number of "farang" (Western expats/retirees) in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Phuket is far in excess of 10.000 each, with Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket at the top of the list. Again, just guessing. If you include Asian expats and laborers, legal and illegal, the figure should be way in excess of a million. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1FinickyOne Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 I would be interested in seeing a breakdown by nationality as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMo Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 No official figures are available from what I know. For a rough idea from rough numbers take a look at http://dougsrepublic.com/thailand/foreigners.php Not exactly authoritative but at least give something. Farangs married to Thais may be another start point. I recall our Provincial Governor quoting a very precise number for Buriram at a presentation some 12 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Deerhunter Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 (edited) I don't know either but I would love to know it too. Based on what the people I know bring into the country every month or so, it would be noticeable in the Thai treasury and they would be scared to tell us in case it let us know just how important to the economy we are. It represents a large invisible export and the jobs created by us all and the money we spend on cars, houses would be equivalent to the addition of a prosperous Thai city or three or a million more middle to upper class Thai Bangkokers. I know there are ratbags among the ex-pats and of course the overstayers, but apart them, we are a very valuable asset to the the exchequer and we are far from being the cause of all Thailand's woes. They would miss us if we left. It would impact on every part of that Thai economy, from sale of vehicles to real estate prices and rental accomodation, let alone the money we spend inside Thailand on power, petrol, food clothes etc every month. Several cities and provinces would be devastated economically. Edited September 3, 2016 by The Deerhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemguy Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 (edited) Geez...I hope not....Because ...if so then the pencil pushers will use those figures as statistical data and dream up cock eyed reasons to stop any increases of foreigners living in Thailand and or take measure to rid the country of all too many permanent foreigner influences.......lol....you know..."they" being of the "mentality" commonly seen practiced by those in positions of power. Cheers Edited September 3, 2016 by gemguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwasaki Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 OP Why would you want to know that.? @ gemguy " Permanent foreigner influences " what influences. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza40 Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 There probably are; however, it's likely no-one will tell you. The Thais won't, because they don't want us to realise how much we are contributing to the economy via bank deposits to qualify for retirement visas. Various nationalities won't, because they don't want us becoming a lobby group or voting bloc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbbbooboo Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Hmmmm..... How many stars are in the sky? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deepinthailand Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 I will start Number 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza40 Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 3 hours ago, Deepinthailand said: I will start Number 1 Wallich was first, and I'm #9. Manners please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deepinthailand Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 1 hour ago, bazza40 said: Wallich was first, and I'm #9. Manners please. Now there's a problem there how do we know who of the posters are actually in thailand full time???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotwight Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 11 minutes ago, Deepinthailand said: Now there's a problem there how do we know who of the posters are actually in thailand full time???? I'm the only one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkspeaker Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 i think i saw the # published previously somewhere.. it's about 100,000- that's sort of the number of people living here, not the entire number which includes all short time tourests here at any given time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deepinthailand Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 If I knew how to have a poll I would ask straight yes or no do you live in Thailand full time ie (365 days a year or your full time home is here if you work away for periods of time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 There's lots of data on the internet on this subject some of it almost agrees. The first question to ask is what do you mean by foreigner, do you mean a foreigner of influence such as a western expat who contributes to the economy by means of the 800K rule, or do you mean everyone who is not Thai? There seems to be agreement that there are about 50,000 British expats living in Thailand, there also seems to be agreement that there are over 3.5 million Chinese living here. So, what numbers do you want to see and have you read the various reports on the internet? http://www.dougsrepublic.com/thailand/foreigners.php http://www.burning-bison.com/expats.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExpatOilWorker Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Nobody really knows, but somewhere around 400,000 seems like a reasonable number. Here are some guestimates (http://www.dougsrepublic.com/thailand/foreigners.php) that adds up to: UK + Germany + USA + France + Australia + Sweden + Holland = 204,000 in Thailand. The remaining European countries, NZ, Canada and Latin America probably add another 200,000, so best estimate at this time is 400,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzra Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Perhaps the reason that there isn't government's substantiated/official figures is because, A. what we don't know we don't acknowledge and have to deal with, B. they will probably be shocked to learn how many are actually living here, C. by not publishing the real numbers, maybe not to antagonize the Thais who don't like foreigners muscling in on their beloved country..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 46 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said: Nobody really knows, but somewhere around 400,000 seems like a reasonable number. Here are some guestimates (http://www.dougsrepublic.com/thailand/foreigners.php) that adds up to: UK + Germany + USA + France + Australia + Sweden + Holland = 204,000 in Thailand. The remaining European countries, NZ, Canada and Latin America probably add another 200,000, so best estimate at this time is 400,000. Hmm, seems to ignore the Chinese (3.5 mill.). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxx Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Looking at language, according to the United Nations, based upon the 2013 census, there were native speakers as follows: Language Value Burmese 827,713 Chinese 111,866 English 323,779 Hindi 22,938 Japanese 70,667 Malay 2,913 Thai 59,866,190 Vietnamese 8,281 So, roughly 320,000 farang here. Source: http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode:27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOLDBUGGY Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 25 minutes ago, Oxx said: Looking at language, according to the United Nations, based upon the 2013 census, there were native speakers as follows: Language Value Burmese 827,713 Chinese 111,866 English 323,779 Hindi 22,938 Japanese 70,667 Malay 2,913 Thai 59,866,190 Vietnamese 8,281 So, roughly 320,000 farang here. Source: http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode:27 I am sorry but I don't see how you can come up with a number value of 320,000 Farangs when you already have more English Speakers then that at 323,779. Also when you add everyone you have listed up, you end up with a total population of about 61,235,000 People. While Thailand has a total population of about 67,000,000 People. So where do these other 6 Million People fit in here? To be honest I doubt anyone knows for sure how many people. So at best it is just anyone's guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxx Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 13 minutes ago, GOLDBUGGY said: I am sorry but I don't see how you can come up with a number value of 320,000 Farangs when you already have more English Speakers then that at 323,779. To be honest I doubt anyone knows for sure how many people. So at best it is just anyone's guess. Get your eyes checked. You missed the word "roughly". And yes, of course a Thai government census is "just anyone's guess". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickudon Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 To give some idea, how many do 90 day reports at immigration each day? In Udon, i would say about 20. that gives you a figure of 100 a week, 5000 a year. Then some do online as well. And that is people on extensions only. Add on those using multi-entry O's, single entries, tourist visas, agents etc. I would say about 7-10,000. That is just one province. Working expats mainly in central region, and did once see estimate for Bangkok of over 100,000. The total, i expect, is half a million or more for all of Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caspersfriend Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 More importantly perhaps: What percentage are the "good guys" who deserve to be in and the "bad guys" who deserve to be out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlfonsV Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 On 4.9.2016 at 10:00 AM, GOLDBUGGY said: I am sorry but I don't see how you can come up with a number value of 320,000 Farangs when you already have more English Speakers then that at 323,779. Also when you add everyone you have listed up, you end up with a total population of about 61,235,000 People. While Thailand has a total population of about 67,000,000 People. So where do these other 6 Million People fit in here? To be honest I doubt anyone knows for sure how many people. So at best it is just anyone's guess. In addition some hundred thousands of expats with another mother tongue are not included to this "calculation" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TacoGuy Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 On 03/09/2016 at 10:33 AM, The Deerhunter said: I don't know either but I would love to know it too. Based on what the people I know bring into the country every month or so, it would be noticeable in the Thai treasury and they would be scared to tell us in case it let us know just how important to the economy we are. It represents a large invisible export and the jobs created by us all and the money we spend on cars, houses would be equivalent to the addition of a prosperous Thai city or three or a million more middle to upper class Thai Bangkokers. I know there are ratbags among the ex-pats and of course the overstayers, but apart them, we are a very valuable asset to the the exchequer and we are far from being the cause of all Thailand's woes. They would miss us if we left. It would impact on every part of that Thai economy, from sale of vehicles to real estate prices and rental accomodation, let alone the money we spend inside Thailand on power, petrol, food clothes etc every month. Several cities and provinces would be devastated economically. If it's say 350,000 (a figure some of the above posts have pointed toward) it really isn't that large, and you vastly overstate the impact to the Thai economy Johnny Farang makes. That's not saying it's zero or significant, but it's not as significant or substantial as you suggest. Judging by comments on BE and visits to places like Lotus, there is no shortage of impoverished farangs, eeking out a modest existence in Thailand. 60 million + people here and rapidly expanding middle class. So to say "several cities and provinces would be devastated economically" is rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dumbastheycome Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 The question is amusing. It is certainly possible that there exists some sort of official guesstimate total that could/will be eventually compiled once there is a functional network link in the Government computer system. But given the numerous points of entry and the historical handwritten processing and filing combined with the historical issuing of genuine but not quite officially correct visas, extensions , work permits which have been stashed in paper files somewhere it is unlikely any historic or actual true number could be made. Even the official figure of the Thai population is still inaccurate due to the number who still have no ID. Due to the need for one to access state services that number has been decreased rapidly over the last decade. It was a complication in the aftermath of the great tsunami when than identification by facial recognition of victims left many officially unknown. The death toll was only a body count. Actual numbers are unknown but acknowledged to be significantly more. In my locality I know of 10 teenage males who have no (smart) card, have never attended school for more than 3 years. Who knows how many there are across Thailand? Asian workers here with or without a work permit who give birth(s). What bemuses me is the almost auto response by many responders who make the assumption the word foreigner implies westerner despite the definition included in the original post. For those who feel perpetually alienated rest assured the average Asian non Thai suffer more ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 On 05/09/2016 at 8:31 PM, Dumbastheycome said: The question is amusing. It is certainly possible that there exists some sort of official guesstimate total that could/will be eventually compiled once there is a functional network link in the Government computer system. But given the numerous points of entry and the historical handwritten processing and filing combined with the historical issuing of genuine but not quite officially correct visas, extensions , work permits which have been stashed in paper files somewhere it is unlikely any historic or actual true number could be made. Even the official figure of the Thai population is still inaccurate due to the number who still have no ID. Due to the need for one to access state services that number has been decreased rapidly over the last decade. It was a complication in the aftermath of the great tsunami when than identification by facial recognition of victims left many officially unknown. The death toll was only a body count. Actual numbers are unknown but acknowledged to be significantly more. In my locality I know of 10 teenage males who have no (smart) card, have never attended school for more than 3 years. Who knows how many there are across Thailand? Asian workers here with or without a work permit who give birth(s). What bemuses me is the almost auto response by many responders who make the assumption the word foreigner implies westerner despite the definition included in the original post. For those who feel perpetually alienated rest assured the average Asian non Thai suffer more ! "almost auto response by many responders who make the assumption the word foreigner implies westerner despite the definition included in the original post". Where? There is no definition in the original post!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgroper2 Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 On 03/09/2016 at 11:55 AM, Kwasaki said: OP Why would you want to know that.? @ gemguy " Permanent foreigner influences " what influences. ? Boredom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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