Government and power in Thailand
Who leads Thailand, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary constitutional monarchy.
Who leads Thailand?
- Head of state: King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua (King of Thailand)
- Head of government: Anutin Charnvirakul (Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand)
- Foreign minister: Sihasak Phuangketkeow (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand)
Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.
Governance scores
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.
- Voice and accountability
- Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.
- Political stability and absence of violence
- Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.
- Government effectiveness
- Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.
- Regulatory quality
- Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.
- Rule of law
- Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.
- Control of corruption
- Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.
How does Thailand score on voice and accountability?
Voice and accountability: 48.2 out of 100 in 2025, 119th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 65.7). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 42.1.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Thailand score on political stability?
Political stability and absence of violence: 55.8 out of 100 in 2025, 146th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 81.7). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 45.4.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Thailand score on government effectiveness?
Government effectiveness: 57.7 out of 100 in 2025, 71st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 54.5). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 53.3.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Thailand score on regulatory quality?
Regulatory quality: 57.6 out of 100 in 2025, 73rd highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 53.6). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 59.2.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Thailand score on the rule of law?
Rule of law: 56.6 out of 100 in 2025, 91st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 65.5). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 52.5.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Thailand score on control of corruption?
Control of corruption: 38.1 out of 100 in 2025, 118th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 54). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 37.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many women are in Thailand's parliament?
Women held 19.6% of seats in the national parliament (single or lower chamber) in 2025, 124th highest of 184 countries with data. Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, via the World Bank.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many of Thailand's ministers are women?
Women held 21.1% of ministerial posts in 2025, 102nd highest of 190.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does the government of Thailand spend?
Central government spending (expense) was 20.7% of GDP in 2023.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much tax does the government of Thailand collect?
Central government tax revenue was 15.2% of GDP in 2024, 61st highest of 92.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does Thailand spend on the military?
Military spending was 1.0% of GDP in 2025, 107th highest of 149 (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, via the World Bank).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow big are the armed forces of Thailand?
Armed forces personnel numbered 455,000 in 2020.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow good are Thailand's official statistics?
The World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicator, which scores how well a country's official statistics system works, was 85 out of 100 in 2024, 42nd highest of 187.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many births are registered in Thailand?
99.8% of births of children under 5 were registered with a civil authority (2019).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many people in Thailand use the internet?
90.9% of people used the internet in 2024.
Source: World Bank · saved copyOfficial bodies that hold power in Thailand
Government
- Royal Thai GovernmentCabinet resolutions, government news and Prime Minister's statements.
Parliament
- Secretariat of the House of Representatives (National Assembly)Bills, meeting records and members of the House of Representatives and National Assembly.
- SenateSenate meeting records, committee reports and senators.
Elections
- Election Commission of ThailandElection results, candidate lists, party registration and electoral regulations.
Courts
- Constitutional CourtConstitutional Court rulings and case information.
Public audit
- State Audit OfficeAudit reports on government agencies, state enterprises and the state budget.
Access to information
- Office of the Official Information CommissionGuidance on the Official Information Act, complaint handling and decisions of the information disclosure tribunals.
- Personal Data Protection Committee OfficeRules, guidance and enforcement under the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562.
Asset declarations
- National Anti-Corruption CommissionAnti-corruption investigations and the published asset and liability declarations of political office holders.
Public contracts
- Thai Government ProcurementProcurement announcements, bid results and contract information for Thai government agencies.
Laws and the official gazette
- Royal Thai Government GazetteActs, royal decrees, ministerial regulations and official announcements as published in the Gazette.
Government below the national level
- Provinces (76) and Bangkok: Governor appointed by the Ministry of Interior; Bangkok's governor directly elected
- Provincial Administrative Organisations (76 PAOs): Chief executive and council directly elected for four years
- Districts (amphoe): District chief (nai amphoe), an Interior Ministry civil servant
- Municipalities (thesaban: city, town and sub-district types, about 2,450) and Tambon Administrative Organisations (TAOs): Mayor or chief executive and council directly elected
- Tambon (sub-districts) and villages (muban): Village headman (phuyaiban) elected by villagers; tambon headman (kamnan) chosen from among the village headmen; both supervised by the Interior Ministry
How local power works in Thailand
Places in Thailand
Sources
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.