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.