People Group Info
Total Population: 187,080
ROP3 Code: 101940IMB Affinity Group: Southeast Asian Peoples
Affinity Bloc: Southeast Asian Peoples
People Cluster: Thai
Language: Thai - (tha)
Religion: Buddhism - Theravada
Country of Origin: Thailand
People Group Profiles
“All nations will come and worship before you."
- Revelations 15:4
Total Population: 187,080
ROP3 Code: 101940
Photo courtesy of Joshua Project.
Copyright © Peoples of Laos, Paul Hattaway
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA - 34,615
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, VA - 24,570
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY - 11,772
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA - 10,625
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA - 7,851
Click here to recommend other locations where this People Group resides.
The vast majority of the Thai people live in Thailand, although some Thais can also be found in other parts of Southeast Asia. About 51–57 million live in Thailand alone, while large communities can also be found in the United States, China, Laos, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Burma, South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Libya, and the United Arab Emirates.
Although the Thai population is small compared to other Asian immigrant groups this does not mean their influence is not felt. Thai cuisine is popular in many of the major cities. Moreover, the Thai culture has several stark differences from North American cultures.
In Thai culture there is a strong sense of collectivism as opposed to individualism. Thai people value helping each other even when it is inconvenient for them. If one person at the workplace is struggling the coworkers do not see it as a burden to stop and help the one who is struggling. Even possessions are shared more readily. Friends will often share food and drink without having a strong sense of personal possessions. There is a lot of indirect communication in the Thai community. If someone needs to be corrected it is never done in front of others because that would cause them to lose face. Instead they are approached in private and then exhorted.
Thailand has one of the highest concentrations of Buddhists in the world. 95% of the total population adheres to Theravada Buddhism. The national religion is Buddhism and one of the official roles of the monarch is to be the “defender of the Buddhist faith in Thailand.” Although Buddhism is the predominant religion, Thai people also put a high value on freedom of religion. They believe that the King should be Thai but that all religions should be respected.
Got Questions?
Your Questions. Biblical Answers. In Thai.
Bible.is - Thai
Audio and written Bible in Standard Thai.
Creation to Christ - Thai
Creation to Christ video in Thai.
Every Thai Student
A website focused on engaging Thai students with the existence of God and how to know Him personally.
Global Recordings Network - Thai
Audio Bible stories and resources for speakers of Thai.
Gospel Tools Thailand
Resources for Evangelism and Discipleship - by Thais for Thais.
Jesus Film in Thai
The Jesus Film and other gospel resource videos in Thai language
Lumo Film in Thai
A word-for-word gospel film of the four Gospels in Thai.
The Bible Project - Thai
Well-designed videos in Thai that explain books of the Bible, key biblical words, biblical themes, and doctrine.
True Merit
This animated short video covers the big questions of Kharma, honor, and sin in a short gospel presentation.
Learn more about "Learning Paths"
Online Courses for embracing, encountering and engaging diaspora people. Work at your own pace. Begin anytime and complete the course according to your schedule. Interactive, Hands-On Application.
Learn more about "Reaching the Nations"
This book delineates five disciplines Christians should develop in order to effectively reach the nations. More specifically, it will guide Christians to develop an engagement strategy in their locale.
World Religions - Beliefs Overview
An overview of major world religions and cults - their beliefs and practices.
Know God in 98 Languages
A CRU resource with 9 different witnessing models (e.g. 4 Spiritual Laws, etc.) in 98 languages.
Prayer Guide for Unreached Peoples
A 30 day guide to pray for unreached people groups.
Prayer Guide using the GOSPELS acronym
A prayer guide that utilizes the acronym GOSPELS to pray for workers among diaspora.
Country | City | Metro Area Name | State / Prov. | Baseline Population |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | New Haven | New Haven-Milford | CT | 687 |
United States | Charlotte | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | NC | 600 |
United States | Austin | Austin-Round Rock | TX | 600 |
United States | Hampton | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News | VA | 565 |
United States | Pitts | Pittsburgh | PA | 517 |
United States | Cincinnati | Cincinnati-Middletown | OH | 513 |
United States | Buffalo | Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls | NY | 499 |
United States | Indianapolis | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson | IN | 431 |
United States | Nashville | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | TN | 425 |
United States | Tucson | Tucson | AZ | 358 |
United States | Cohoes | Albany-Schenectady-Troy | NY | 327 |
United States | Albuquerque | Albuquerque | NM | 326 |
United States | Omaha | Omaha-Council Bluffs | NE | 285 |
United States | Xenia | Dayton | OH | 282 |
United States | Springdale | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers | AR | 281 |
United States | KCMO | Kansas City | MO | 275 |
United States | Louisville | Louisville/Jefferson County | KY | 261 |
United States | Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi | OK | 221 |
United States | Asheville | Asheville | NC | 220 |
United States | Birmingham | Birmingham-Hoover | AL | 200 |
United States | Greenville | Greenville | NC | 175 |
United States | Little Rock | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway | AR | 173 |
United States | Fort Smith | Fort Smith | AR | 171 |
United States | McAllen | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission-Brownsville | TX | 155 |
United States | Wilmington | Wilmington | NC | 132 |
United States | Hickory | Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir | NC | 120 |
United States | Jefferson City | Jefferson City | MO | 15 |
United States | Paradise | Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise | NV | 5 |