Low birth rate and challenges for the Thai population
Thailand has progressed and its people enjoy rising incomes, but the country is
now stuck in the so-called middle-income trap. Thailand is now transitioning into
an ageing society as a result of a rapid decline in the birth rate and people living
longer. Some 40 years ago, a Thai woman had, on average, 5 to 6 children, but that
has now fallen to 1-2. Also, more women now get married at a later age, and more
choose to stay single. The total fertility rate (the average number of children born
to a woman of reproductive age) has dropped to just 1.62 (Office of the National
Economic and Social Development Board, 2013.)2
This is likely to drop further to the
level of Asian countries with especially low birth rates such as Japan, South Korea
and Singapore.