Thailand’s population growth has slowed
considerably and is predicted to decline further. It is
the changing population structure that is emerging
as an issue of critical importance – changes in
age structure, educational and skill structure,
state of health and geographical distribution. In
respect to all of these issues, changes in Thailand’s
population over the next two decades promise to
be far-reaching, raising important planning issues,
both with regard to adapting to those population
changes that are inevitable and influencing aspects
of demographic change that are amenable to
modification. This report has documented the
trends of population evolution in Thailand and
analyzed some significant implications and policy
issues. It analyses the impact of demographic
changes on education, labor-force participation,
urbanization, migration and health. It also probes
into past population policies, examines recent
policy changes and critically discusses the different
threads of arguments vis-a-vis policy implications
of Thailand’s demographic trends.