News Forum - Is Thailand considered a rich or poor country?

[Thaiger]

When you think of Thailand, it can be tricky to define whether it’s a rich or poor country. On one hand, it boasts skyscrapers, luxurious malls, and a booming tourism industry. On the other hand, you might also encounter rural areas where people live more modestly. So, is Thailand rich or poor? Well, the answer … …

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[Pinetree]

It is a 'Developing Country', certainly not a Third World Country.  This means that its social, political and economic structures, although in place and functional,  still need to mature over time and its per capita income needs to rise to combat institutional poverty.

Development is not lineally upward.  Countries and societies can regress, from, say,  a so called 'First World' Country, into the downward spiral of decay and disintegration over time, missing out on being 'developed' and returning to not much more than  'Third World'. as National  institutions, including its democratic base,  become more dysfunctional, inefficient and corrupt and poverty increases.  This is best observed in the present day UK.  In my view and in many areas, Thailand is leaping ahead of the UK, and others in the EU. It has a way to go, but its trajectory is upwards, UKs is downward. I will not be around to see it, but the next 80 years will see a massive re alignment of National  wealth and influence, from the old economies to the new.

[Marc26]

4 hours ago, Pinetree said:

It is a 'Developing Country', certainly not a Third World Country.  This means that its social, political and economic structures, although in place and functional,  still need to mature over time and its per capita income needs to rise to combat institutional poverty.

Development is not lineally upward.  Countries and societies can regress, from, say,  a so called 'First World' Country, into the downward spiral of decay and disintegration over time, missing out on being 'developed' and returning to not much more than  'Third World'. as National  institutions, including its democratic base,  become more dysfunctional, inefficient and corrupt and poverty increases.  This is best observed in the present day UK.  In my view and in many areas, Thailand is leaping ahead of the UK, and others in the EU. It has a way to go, but its trajectory is upwards, UKs is downward. I will not be around to see it, but the next 80 years will see a massive re alignment of National  wealth and influence, from the old economies to the new.

Thailand has progressed quite well in the 20 years I've been going there 

 

But it will never leap over Western countries 

Thailand has a caste system and wants to keep it that way

[Pinetree]

22 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

Thailand has progressed quite well in the 20 years I've been going there 

But it will never leap over Western countries 

Thailand has a caste system and wants to keep it that way

It has already exceeded many western countries, in terms of infrastructure, National debt levels, manufacturing investment, local influence in Asia and equality of opportunity.  What 'caste system'? If it exists, which it does not, how does that differ from 'Class' systems in very many Western Countries? Thailand does not suffer from decades of tensions and discrimination against indigenous peoples, unlike so called developed countries.   You appear to be confusing the distinction between a growing middle class. plus a wealthy urban elite and the rural population.  That is not a cast system.   The rise of a solid Middle Class in the last few decades provides opportunities' for the whole country in its development journey.  

[Marc26]

28 minutes ago, Pinetree said:

It has already exceeded many western countries, in terms of infrastructure, National debt levels, manufacturing investment, local influence in Asia and equality of opportunity.  What 'caste system'? If it exists, which it does not, how does that differ from 'Class' systems in very many Western Countries? Thailand does not suffer from decades of tensions and discrimination against indigenous peoples, unlike so called developed countries.   You appear to be confusing the distinction between a growing middle class. plus a wealthy urban elite and the rural population.  That is not a cast system.   The rise of a solid Middle Class in the last few decades provides opportunities' for the whole country in its development journey.  

This is just my personal observation and experience 

 

I grew up in the housing projects, pretty poor

 

My Mom would save and take us to nice restaurants for special occasions 

Never once did I ever feel I did not belong 

Not once

 

I can't tell you how many Thais I know that are fearful of going to "high-so" places

 

They are looked down upon

 

Hell I know Thais here in Canada that have succeeded and they still are worried to go certain places

 

That's part of a caste system 

 

 

The educational system is a big part of the caste system 

They discourage any sort of curiosity or questioning to keep them inline

And I think that is Thailand's worse attribute , IMO

 

And that is part of a caste system

 

It may not be as defined as in India and other countries but it is there

 

And I am not alone on that opinion 

[rattlesnake]

11 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

This is just my personal observation and experience 

I grew up in the housing projects, pretty poor

My Mom would save and take us to nice restaurants for special occasions 

Never once did I ever feel I did not belong 

Not once

I can't tell you how many Thais I know that are fearful of going to "high-so" places

They are looked down upon

Hell I know Thais here in Canada that have succeeded and they still are worried to go certain places

That's part of a caste system 

The educational system is a big part of the caste system 

They discourage any sort of curiosity or questioning to keep them inline

And I think that is Thailand's worse attribute , IMO

And that is part of a caste system

It may not be as defined as in India and other countries but it is there

And I am not alone on that opinion 

I would tend to agree with that.

[rattlesnake]

50 minutes ago, Pinetree said:

It has already exceeded many western countries, in terms of infrastructure, National debt levels, manufacturing investment, local influence in Asia and equality of opportunity.  What 'caste system'? If it exists, which it does not, how does that differ from 'Class' systems in very many Western Countries? Thailand does not suffer from decades of tensions and discrimination against indigenous peoples, unlike so called developed countries.   You appear to be confusing the distinction between a growing middle class. plus a wealthy urban elite and the rural population.  That is not a cast system.   The rise of a solid Middle Class in the last few decades provides opportunities' for the whole country in its development journey.  

Speaking of insfrastructure, my brother was recently here on holiday and he couldn't believe how clean and well maintained everything is, especially around Bangkok and Hua Hin (where I live). And the impression of overall safety was a big one for him too. It made him realise just what a sh*thole London is (though everything there is 10 times more expensive).

[Marc26]

49 minutes ago, Pinetree said:

It has already exceeded many western countries, in terms of infrastructure, National debt levels, manufacturing investment, local influence in Asia and equality of opportunity.  What 'caste system'? If it exists, which it does not, how does that differ from 'Class' systems in very many Western Countries? Thailand does not suffer from decades of tensions and discrimination against indigenous peoples, unlike so called developed countries.   You appear to be confusing the distinction between a growing middle class. plus a wealthy urban elite and the rural population.  That is not a cast system.   The rise of a solid Middle Class in the last few decades provides opportunities' for the whole country in its development journey.  

As I said in my 1st reply 

I agree and do think Thais has made great strides in the last twenty years

 

But I think it has a long way to go to passing Western countries 

 

 

Last year my wife wanted to go back to her old elementary school and buy them lunch 

She deeply appreciated when people came and did that when she was in school 

 

I thought we could do more 

And through the generosity of my work colleagues and others in my industry in Vancouver we collected quite a bit of money 

 

We outfitted their computer room wuth new computers that replaced anciet ones

We bought every student 2 new uniforms

I also got backpack donations for the whole school 

And my wife worked with the teachers to provide them with whatever other supplies they needed

 

When we went to the school 

Most kids socks were all holes

Uniforms hanging on by a thread

 

 

And you could go all over Thailand and find the same conditions in 1000's of schools

 

(Although I will say, they all seemed happy as hell, which is usually the case in Thailand and that can't be quantified but certainly is a major plus for the country)

 

Thailand's educational ranking, although better than I figured it would be at around 100th best, is still far behind Western countries

[Marc26]

6 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

Speaking of insfrastructure, my brother was recently here on holiday and he couldn't believe how clean and well maintained everything is, especially around Bangkok and Hua Hin (where I live). And the impression of overall safety was a big one for him too. It made him realise just what a sh*thole London is (though everything there is 10 times more expensive).

I lived in Thailand for sometime in 2004-2005

 

I would say/think I lived in a 3rd world country 

 

Then I took a trip to Cambodia and realized I did not live in a 3rd world country!!

 

Although Cambodia has also made strides as well

[Marc26]

8 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

Speaking of insfrastructure, my brother was recently here on holiday and he couldn't believe how clean and well maintained everything is, especially around Bangkok and Hua Hin (where I live). And the impression of overall safety was a big one for him too. It made him realise just what a sh*thole London is (though everything there is 10 times more expensive).

The roads are pretty good

 

But for me...

It's the Hospitals and Airports (but mostly the Hospitals) that made me realize how developed Thailand really is

[rattlesnake]

13 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

The roads are pretty good

But for me...

It's the Hospitals and Airports (but mostly the Hospitals) that made me realize how developed Thailand really is

I was in Bumrumgrad Bangkok a few years ago… You would never see a hospital like that in France or the UK. 5-star experience. All the Bangkok Hospitals are pretty high standard too, actually. I was in there in Hua Hin last year, for a regular GP visit and they sent a French interpreter along with me when they saw my French passport!

And I was even in a public hospital in Phitsanulok a few years ago (I don't recall its name) and was also impressed with the quality of service.

[rattlesnake]

52 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

I agree and do think Thais has made great strides in the last twenty years

But I think it has a long way to go to passing Western countries

Things are very dire in 21st century Europe.

[Marc26]

38 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

I was in Bumrumgrad Bangkok a few years ago… You would never see a hospital like that in France or the UK. 5-star experience. All the Bangkok Hospitals are pretty high standard too, actually. I was in there in Hua Hin last year, for a regular GP visit and they sent a French interpreter along with me when they saw my French passport!

And I was even in a public hospital in Phitsanulok a few years ago (I don't recall its name) and was also impressed with the quality of service.

Bumrungard is on another level 

 

But as you mentioned 

There are many good hospitals all over Thailand 

[Pinetree]

11 hours ago, Marc26 said:

As I said in my 1st reply 

I agree and do think Thais has made great strides in the last twenty years

But I think it has a long way to go to passing Western countries 

Last year my wife wanted to go back to her old elementary school and buy them lunch 

She deeply appreciated when people came and did that when she was in school 

I thought we could do more 

And through the generosity of my work colleagues and others in my industry in Vancouver we collected quite a bit of money 

We outfitted their computer room wuth new computers that replaced anciet ones

We bought every student 2 new uniforms

I also got backpack donations for the whole school 

And my wife worked with the teachers to provide them with whatever other supplies they needed

When we went to the school 

Most kids socks were all holes

Uniforms hanging on by a thread

And you could go all over Thailand and find the same conditions in 1000's of schools

(Although I will say, they all seemed happy as hell, which is usually the case in Thailand and that can't be quantified but certainly is a major plus for the country)

Thailand's educational ranking, although better than I figured it would be at around 100th best, is still far behind Western countries

Not A Thai City is it? 

[Marc26]

44 minutes ago, Pinetree said:

Not A Thai City is it? 

Some of you Thai expats are the weirdest people I've ever encountered 

 

You get offended over an opinion that was given with reasons

I also praised Thailand for many things in this thread

 

You guys are so God damn insecure you need validation for your life choice of living in Thailand 

 

 

It's okay man

I love Thailand 

 

I hope you feel better now. 

[Pinetree]

39 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

You get offended over an opinion that was given with reasons

I'm not at all offended, I just like balance in any debate. You quoted poverty in Thailand villages, while stating that, from the view from your western Canadian City, that  Thailand has a way to go to get ahead of the West. I merely pointed out a flaw in that view. I also have no illusions about Thailand, or about the vast majority of Western sxxt hole Cities and the basket case that is my home Country of the UK. 

[Marc26]

7 hours ago, Pinetree said:

I'm not at all offended, I just like balance in any debate. You quoted poverty in Thailand villages, while stating that, from the view from your western Canadian City, that  Thailand has a way to go to get ahead of the West. I merely pointed out a flaw in that view. I also have no illusions about Thailand, or about the vast majority of Western sxxt hole Cities and the basket case that is my home Country of the UK. 

Not that you would have or want to

 

But I have many posts on here bemoaning Vancouver and BC's absurd lax drug laws

It's a failed system.....

 

However

Thailand's min wage is 350 baht a day

And my stepson makes closed to 800 baht and hour plus about another 10k baht/week in tips

 

I've also said many times I think my home country is the most corrupt country in the world

 

But my stepson went to one of the best Universities in Thailand and the teacher were scamming the students and not allowing the book to be bought and selling the students pages at exorbitant prices

 

 

I always say that Thailand isn't the poor country people perceived it to be 20 years ago

 

But I just don't think you can compare it to Western countries with it's relatively low education rankings and low paying jobs and a minimum wage less than an hours wage in most Western countries 

[rattlesnake]

1 hour ago, Marc26 said:

Not that you would have or want to

But I have many posts on here bemoaning Vancouver and BC's absurd lax drug laws

It's a failed system.....

However

Thailand's min wage is 350 baht a day

And my stepson makes closed to 800 baht and hour plus about another 10k baht/week in tips

I've also said many times I think my home country is the most corrupt country in the world

But my stepson went to one of the best Universities in Thailand and the teacher were scamming the students and not allowing the book to be bought and selling the students pages at exorbitant prices

I always say that Thailand isn't the poor country people perceived it to be 20 years ago

But I just don't think you can compare it to Western countries with it's relatively low education rankings and low paying jobs and a minimum wage less than an hours wage in most Western countries 

I understand where you're coming from, but these figures have to be balanced against cost of life.

I know several Thais (mostly women married to French men but a few men and women who came for work) in my French home town who were initially starry-eyed at the prospect of earning the French minimum wage of 1,400 euros (50,000 baht). Try telling them that they will spend most of it on rent, utilities, food and transport and they just don't get it. 

However, through experience, they all came to understand it, because most of them are living the tedious lives of 21-st century Europeans and it is not a fun life. And they will never be able to buy a house. Whether they are happy or not is not for me to say, but they are certainly not enjoying the standard of living that they thought they would (this misconception is, IMO, partly due to social media and the Thai face culture: despite living uneventful lives, they will systematically portray themselves on social media as living the high life with lots of clichés, which perpetuates the myth).

Of course, people's experiences and circumstances vary, but for what it's worth, my wife has spent a long time in France and considers herself very lucky to have been able to relocate to Thailand… though we very much enjoy the occasional holiday in France.