Poverty levels decrease in 2023: NESDC report
While the number of those classified as poor has fallen, government urged to monitor those at danger of falling into poverty
A total of 2.39 million Thais were classified as poor in 2023, a significant decrease from the previous year of 3.79 million people, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) said in its latest report on Thailand’s poverty and disparity situation.
The percentage of the poor population in Thailand also went down from 5.43% in 2022 to 3.41% in 2023, the NESDC reported.
The council attributed the decrease in the poor to continued economic expansion, especially in the agricultural sector, which has the highest percentage of low-income workers. It added that the government’s state welfare card scheme in 2023 accepted applications from those who had missed the application deadlines in the previous rounds, allowing more people to gain access to state-funded services and benefits.
The report said that people living outside municipal zones faced a significantly higher risk of poverty than those living in inner city areas. It added that the South is the region with the highest ratio of poor people, especially in the three deep south provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat.
The report also found that poor households have a higher dependency rate of family members than those not classified as poor (103.39% vs 62.34%), while the ratio of poor people tends to increase in line with the family size.
The NESDC wrote that educational level significantly affects the population’s poverty level, with up to 9.51% of uneducated people classified as poor, while the ratio starts to shrink at higher education levels. Less than 2% of those who are educated at high school level or higher are classified as poor, it added.
The council said that 97.53% of poor people in Thailand were able to access medical services provided by the state in 2023, with the gold card scheme providing the most coverage at 89.59%.
94.19% of poor seniors received the government’s elderly allowances in the past year, while 73.85% of the disabled classified as poor received disability allowances.
19.02% of poor households in Thailand have no access to running water, 25.03% have no smartphones, and 31.18% have no internet connection.
Despite the improving trend, the NESDC urged the government to closely monitor those who are at risk of falling into poverty, especially people in vulnerable groups who are living close to the poverty line.
“Under the current economic and social structures, these vulnerable groups could not sustainably escape the risk of becoming poor, being held back mainly by their family structure, careers, and education levels,” it said.
