Ethnic groups in Thailand
Encyclopedia
Thailand
is a country with many distinct ethnic groups, just like other countries, including the majority Thai and numerous hill tribes living primarily in the mountains of the north. The Thai (or ethnic Tai) and Chinese make up approximately 90% of the nation's population of approximately 67.5 million.
Thailand's population is relatively homogeneous, with more than 98% speaking a Tai language and sharing a common culture. This core population includes ethic Thai (50%), Chinese or partly Chinese (40%), and Malay (5%).
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
is a country with many distinct ethnic groups, just like other countries, including the majority Thai and numerous hill tribes living primarily in the mountains of the north. The Thai (or ethnic Tai) and Chinese make up approximately 90% of the nation's population of approximately 67.5 million.
Thailand's population is relatively homogeneous, with more than 98% speaking a Tai language and sharing a common culture. This core population includes ethic Thai (50%), Chinese or partly Chinese (40%), and Malay (5%).
Alphabetical list
- Akha
- BruBru peopleThe Bru are an ethnic group living in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. They speak Bru, a Mon–Khmer language, which has several dialects...
- Cham
- ChineseThai ChineseThe Thai Chinese are an overseas Chinese community who live in Thailand. Thailand is home to the largest, oldest, most prominent, and most integrated overseas Chinese community in the world with a population of approximately 9.5 million people...
(primarily ChaozhouTeochew peopleThe Chaozhou people are Han people, native to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province of China who speak the Teochew dialect. Today, most Teochew people live outside China in Southeast Asia especially in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. They can also be found almost anywhere in the...
and HakkaHakka peopleThe Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
) - ChongPear (people)The Pear people are an indigenous group living a sparse existence after years of conflict in Cambodia and Thailand.-Ethnography:Pears call themselves: Samré in Pursat Province; Samray in Battambang; Chong and Chong-Samré in the Trat Province of eastern Thailand; and Chong la and Chong heap, in...
- HmongHmong peopleThe Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
- KarenKaren peopleThe Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
- KhmerKhmer peopleKhmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
- KhmuKhmu peopleThe Khmu is one of the largest ethnic groups based in northern Laos. They can also be found in Burma, southwest China , Thailand, and Vietnam, where they are an officially recognized ethnic group...
- KuyKuy languageKuy language is a Katuic language, part of the larger Austroasiatic family.Kuy is one of the more important languages of the Mon–Khmer family...
- LahuLahu peopleThe Lahu are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia and China.They are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where about 450,000 live in Yunnan province. An estimated 150,000 live in Burma. In Thailand, Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes; their...
- LannaNorthern Thai languageNorthern Thai, Lanna, or Kham Mueang is the language of the Thai Yuan people of Lannathai, Thailand. It is a Tai language, closely related to Thai and Lao...
(Northern Thai) - LaoLao peopleThe Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
- LawaLawa peopleLawa are an ethnic group in Laos and northern Thailand. They lived there before Thai people arrived. Today they live often in their traditional way of life, often professing animism. As the other mountain ethnic groups of Thailand, they are known for extraordinary craft skills...
- Lisu
- LoloYi peopleThe Yi or Lolo people are an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Numbering 8 million, they are the seventh largest of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
(Yi) - LüLu peopleThe Tai Lü people are an ethnic group of Vietnam, China, and Thailand. In Vietnam, most Lu live in the Lai Chau Province, and their population was 4,964 in 1999. In China, they are officially recognized as part of the Dai ethnic group. They speak a Tai language.Lu is the indigenous people in Mường...
(Tai Lü) - LuaLua peopleThe Lua People are a minority cultural group native to Laos, although some also live in Thailand.Animism, Shamanism and Theravada Buddhism are common spiritual practices for the Lua....
- Malay
- ManiMani peopleThe Maniq are an ethnic group of Thailand. They are the only Negrito group in Thailand and speak Maniq , a Mon–Khmer language in the Aslian language group...
(NegritoNegritoThe Negrito are a class of several ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia.Their current populations include 12 Andamanese peoples of the Andaman Islands, six Semang peoples of Malaysia, the Mani of Thailand, and the Aeta, Agta, Ati, and 30 other peoples of the Philippines....
) - MlabriMlabriThe Mlabri or Mrabri are an ethnic group of Thailand and Laos, and have been called "the most interesting and least understood people in Southeast Asia". Only about 300 or fewer Mlabris remain in the world today, with some estimates as low as 100. A hill tribe in northern Thailand along the border...
- MokenMokenThe Moken , are an Austronesian ethnic group with about 2,000 to 3,000 members who maintain a nomadic, sea-based culture. They speak their own language which belongs to the Austronesian language family.-Nomenclature:They refer to themselves as Moken...
- MonMon peopleThe Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
- NyahkurNyah Kur languageThe Nyah Kur language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by a remnant of the Mon people of Dvaravati, the Nyah Kur people, who live in present-day Thailand...
(Nyah Kur, Chao-bon) - PalaungDe'angThe Palaung are a Mon–Khmer ethnic minority found in Shan State of Burma, Yunnan province of China and northern Thailand. They live mainly in the northern parts of Shan State in the Pa Laung Self-Administered Zone, with the capital at Namhsan. There are three main subgroups of Palaung: the Palé,...
(De'ang) - PearPear (people)The Pear people are an indigenous group living a sparse existence after years of conflict in Cambodia and Thailand.-Ethnography:Pears call themselves: Samré in Pursat Province; Samray in Battambang; Chong and Chong-Samré in the Trat Province of eastern Thailand; and Chong la and Chong heap, in...
- PhaiPhai peopleThe Phai are an ethnic group in Thailand and Laos.-Name Variation:The Phai are also commonly referred to as Phay, Thung Chan Pray, Kha Phay, and Prai. In Laos they are also referred to as Htin.-Language:...
- Phu ThaiPhu Thai languagePhu Thai , also known as Phuu Thai, is the language of the Phutai people. It is a closely related language to the Tai Dam, and Tai Don, it is less well related to the Isan and the Lao languages.-Speakers:...
- PhuanPhuanThe Phuan , also known as Tai Phuan, Thai Puan or Lao Phuan, are a Theravada Buddhist Tai people spread out in small pockets over most of the northeastern Isan region with other groups scattered in central Thailand and Laos . According to the Ethnologue Report, the Phuan number 204,704 and that is...
- SaekSaekThe Saek or Tai Saek are an ethnic group of Laos and Thailand. The Saek are a part of the larger Tai ethnicity.-Geographic distribution:The center of the Saek population is the Mekong River in central Laos...
- Sa'ochPear (people)The Pear people are an indigenous group living a sparse existence after years of conflict in Cambodia and Thailand.-Ethnography:Pears call themselves: Samré in Pursat Province; Samray in Battambang; Chong and Chong-Samré in the Trat Province of eastern Thailand; and Chong la and Chong heap, in...
- Shan
- So
- Southern ThaiSouthern Thai languageSouthern Thai or Dambro is a Tai language spoken in the 14 changwat of Southern Thailand as well as by small communities in the northernmost Malaysian states. It is spoken by roughly five million people, and as a second language by the 1.5 million speakers of Patani Malay and other ethnic groups...
- Tai DamTai Dam languageTai Dam Black Tai is a Tai language spoken by the Tai Dam in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and China . It is called ภาษาไทดำ "Black Tai language" in Thai and Dǎidānyǔ 傣担语 in Chinese....
(Black Tai) - Tai NüaTai Nüa languageTai Nüa is one of the languages spoken by the Dai people in China, especially in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in the southwest of Yunnan province...
- ThaiThai peopleThe Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
- Urak LawoiUrak LawoiUrak Lawoi are an ethnic group residing on the islands of Phuket, Phi Phi, Jum, Lanta, Bulon and on Lipe and Adang, in the Adang Archipelago, off the western coast of Thailand...
- VietnameseVietnamese peopleThe Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
- YaoYao peopleThe Yao nationality is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south...
/Iu MienIu Mien languageThe Iu Mien language is one of the main languages spoken by the Yao people in China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and more recently the United States, in diaspora. There are about 2,172,000 speakers in total, according to census data in 2000 from China, Vietnam, Thai, Laos, United States of America,...
Listed by language group
- Tai–Kadai – LannaNorthern Thai languageNorthern Thai, Lanna, or Kham Mueang is the language of the Thai Yuan people of Lannathai, Thailand. It is a Tai language, closely related to Thai and Lao...
(Northern Thai), LaoLao peopleThe Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
, LüTai Lü languageTai Lü is a language spoken by about 670,000 people in South East Asia. This includes 250,000 people in China, 200,000 in Burma, 134,000 in Thailand, and 5,000 in Vietnam...
(Tai Lü), Phu ThaiPhu Thai languagePhu Thai , also known as Phuu Thai, is the language of the Phutai people. It is a closely related language to the Tai Dam, and Tai Don, it is less well related to the Isan and the Lao languages.-Speakers:...
, SaekSaekThe Saek or Tai Saek are an ethnic group of Laos and Thailand. The Saek are a part of the larger Tai ethnicity.-Geographic distribution:The center of the Saek population is the Mekong River in central Laos...
, ShanShan languageThe Shan language is the native language of Shan people and spoken mostly in Shan State, Burma. It is also used in pockets of Kachin State in Burma, in northern Thailand, and in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. Shan is a member of the Tai–Kadai language family, and...
, Southern ThaiSouthern Thai languageSouthern Thai or Dambro is a Tai language spoken in the 14 changwat of Southern Thailand as well as by small communities in the northernmost Malaysian states. It is spoken by roughly five million people, and as a second language by the 1.5 million speakers of Patani Malay and other ethnic groups...
, Tai DamTai Dam languageTai Dam Black Tai is a Tai language spoken by the Tai Dam in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and China . It is called ภาษาไทดำ "Black Tai language" in Thai and Dǎidānyǔ 傣担语 in Chinese....
(Black Tai), Tai NüaTai Nüa languageTai Nüa is one of the languages spoken by the Dai people in China, especially in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in the southwest of Yunnan province...
, ThaiThai peopleThe Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of... - Mon–Khmer – BruBruBru may refer to:*Saint Bru, Also known as Saint Brioc*Federico Laredo Brú, President of Cuba from 1936 to 1940*Bru, South African slang for "brother" or "friend"*Bru, a.k.a...
, KhmerKhmer peopleKhmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
, KhmuKhmu peopleThe Khmu is one of the largest ethnic groups based in northern Laos. They can also be found in Burma, southwest China , Thailand, and Vietnam, where they are an officially recognized ethnic group...
, KuyKuy languageKuy language is a Katuic language, part of the larger Austroasiatic family.Kuy is one of the more important languages of the Mon–Khmer family...
, LawaLawa peopleLawa are an ethnic group in Laos and northern Thailand. They lived there before Thai people arrived. Today they live often in their traditional way of life, often professing animism. As the other mountain ethnic groups of Thailand, they are known for extraordinary craft skills...
, LuaLua peopleThe Lua People are a minority cultural group native to Laos, although some also live in Thailand.Animism, Shamanism and Theravada Buddhism are common spiritual practices for the Lua....
, ManiMani peopleThe Maniq are an ethnic group of Thailand. They are the only Negrito group in Thailand and speak Maniq , a Mon–Khmer language in the Aslian language group...
, MlabriMlabriThe Mlabri or Mrabri are an ethnic group of Thailand and Laos, and have been called "the most interesting and least understood people in Southeast Asia". Only about 300 or fewer Mlabris remain in the world today, with some estimates as low as 100. A hill tribe in northern Thailand along the border...
, MonMon peopleThe Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
, NyahkurNyah Kur languageThe Nyah Kur language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by a remnant of the Mon people of Dvaravati, the Nyah Kur people, who live in present-day Thailand...
(Nyah Kur, Chao-bon), PalaungDe'angThe Palaung are a Mon–Khmer ethnic minority found in Shan State of Burma, Yunnan province of China and northern Thailand. They live mainly in the northern parts of Shan State in the Pa Laung Self-Administered Zone, with the capital at Namhsan. There are three main subgroups of Palaung: the Palé,...
(De'ang), PhaiPhaiPhai can refer to:*Phai people, an ethnic group in Thailand and Laos*Phai language, the language of the Phai people*phai , a former Siamese measure of mass and a subdivision of the Siamese tical currency...
, So - Sino-TibetanSino-Tibetan languagesThe Sino-Tibetan languages are a language family comprising, at least, the Chinese and the Tibeto-Burman languages, including some 250 languages of East Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. They are second only to the Indo-European languages in terms of the number of native speakers...
- Chinese – ChineseThai ChineseThe Thai Chinese are an overseas Chinese community who live in Thailand. Thailand is home to the largest, oldest, most prominent, and most integrated overseas Chinese community in the world with a population of approximately 9.5 million people...
- Tibeto-BurmanTibeto-Burman languagesThe Tibeto-Burman languages are the non-Chinese members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken thoughout the highlands of southeast Asia, as well as lowland areas in Burma ....
- Akha, KarenKaren peopleThe Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
, LahuLahu peopleThe Lahu are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia and China.They are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where about 450,000 live in Yunnan province. An estimated 150,000 live in Burma. In Thailand, Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes; their...
, Lisu, LoloYi peopleThe Yi or Lolo people are an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Numbering 8 million, they are the seventh largest of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
(Yi)
- Chinese – Chinese
- Malayo-PolynesianMalayo-Polynesian languagesThe Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia...
– Cham, Malay, MokenMokenThe Moken , are an Austronesian ethnic group with about 2,000 to 3,000 members who maintain a nomadic, sea-based culture. They speak their own language which belongs to the Austronesian language family.-Nomenclature:They refer to themselves as Moken...
, Urak LawoiUrak LawoiUrak Lawoi are an ethnic group residing on the islands of Phuket, Phi Phi, Jum, Lanta, Bulon and on Lipe and Adang, in the Adang Archipelago, off the western coast of Thailand... - Hmong–Mien – HmongHmong peopleThe Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
, YaoYao peopleThe Yao nationality is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south...
/Iu MienIu Mien languageThe Iu Mien language is one of the main languages spoken by the Yao people in China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and more recently the United States, in diaspora. There are about 2,172,000 speakers in total, according to census data in 2000 from China, Vietnam, Thai, Laos, United States of America,...