Internet access in Thailand surges to 21.7 million households in 2024

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2024

‘Thailand Digital Outlook’ report reveals that 50.1 million individuals are connected, with daily internet usage rising to 9 hours 20 minutes daily

This year, some 21.7 million Thai households got linked up to the internet compared to 21 million households last year, the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry said.

The ministry’s “Thailand Digital Outlook” report released on Monday showed that 50.1 million people aged 16 to 74 had internet access compared to 49.2 million people last year.

The number of low-income households with internet access has also risen to 12.12 million from 11.23 million.

The report covered 51,187 respondents and data from 35 agencies.

Meanwhile, the number of skilled personnel, especially programmers and ICT technicians, has risen to 278,000 from 263,000, the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary Wetang Phuangsup said.

He also noted that new graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields have risen to 33.26% from 23.69%.

DES Ministry’s deputy permanent secretary Wetang Phuangsup

Data also shows that now people spend up to nine hours and 20 minutes on the net daily, compared to seven hours and 25 minutes previously, he said. The survey also found that 77% of users cannot do without the internet.

Online shopping is also becoming more popular, he said, adding that most respondents said they shopped online at least once a week. The amount of money spent online has also risen to 428 baht per time from 375 baht, he said, adding that the top three popular online products were clothes, electronic appliances and books.

The most popular shopping platforms are Shopee and Lazada (95.98%) followed by social-media platforms like TikTok, Line and Facebook (47.18%), he added.