Huge non-registered population in Bangkok 'points to inequality'
The great majority of Thailand’s 9.25-million unofficial population lives in Bangkok to work and study, underlining the country's growing inequality, National Statistical Office (NSO) deputy director Suwannee Wangkan said.
The unofficial population accounts for 13.2% of Thailand’s total population of 70 million. Of those, 8.4 million are “non-registered population” – people who live outside their native province without registering their residency – while another 850,000 are “commuter population” who travel daily to work or study outside their native province.
About 610,000 people commute daily to work in another province while 240,000 travel to study outside their native province, according to the NSO.
As many as 55.3% of Thailand’s unofficial population commute to Bangkok to study while 52.5% of them go to work in the capital.
Nakhon Pathom province accounted for a 3.8% share of the commuter population who study outside of their native province, followed by Ayutthaya (3.6%), Pathum Thani (3.4%), and Khon Kaen (3.3%).
With a 7.3% share, Ayutthaya came second after Bangkok for commuter population working outside of their native province. It is followed by Samut Prakan (5%), Pathum Thani (4.7%), and Singburi (2.1%).
Bangkok draws in 32.8% of the country’s non-registered population, followed by Chonburi (8.8%), Samut Prakan (6.8%), Nonthaburi (6.4%), and Samut Sakhon (6.1%).
Suwannee said that data on the unofficial population reflects the country's issue of inequality in education and work. She also called on relevant state agencies to help tackle negative consequences of a large unofficial population. These include residential overcrowding, insufficient public health services, and more demand for public utilities.
The NSO releases its report on the unofficial population every year, based on its annual survey on migration of the people conducted between October and December, she said. The report can be used by relevant agencies for their planning on public welfare, education, public health, and public utilities, among others.
