Languages of Thailand
is home to 71 living languages, with the majority of people speaking languages of the Southwestern Tai family, and the national language being Thai. Lao is spoken along the borders with the Laos PDR, Karen languages are spoken along the border with Myanmar, Khmer is spoken near Cambodia and Malay is spoken in the south near Malaysia. Sixty-two 'domestic' languages are officially recognized, and international languages spoken in Thailand, primarily by international workers, expatriates and business people, include Myanmar, Karen, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese, among others.
Officially recognized languages
National breakdown
The following table comprises all 62 ethnolinguistic groups recognized by the Royal Thai Government in the 2011 Country Report to the UN Committee responsible for the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, available from the Department of Rights and Liberties Promotion of the Thai Ministry of Justice.| Kra-Dai | Austroasiatic | Sino-Tibetan | Austronesian | Hmong-Mien |
| 24 Groups | 22 Groups | 11 Groups | 3 Groups | 2 Groups |
| Kaleung | Kasong | Guong | Malay | |
| Northern Thai | Kuy / Kuay | Karen | Moken / Moklen | Mien |
| Tai Dam | Khmu | - S'gaw Karen | Urak Lawoi' | |
| Nyaw | Thailand Khmer, Northern Khmer | - Pwo Karen | ||
| Khün | Chong | - Kaya Karen | ||
| Central Thai | Sa'och | - Bwe Karen | ||
| Thai Korat | Kensiu | - Pa'O | ||
| Thai Takbai | Samre | - Padaung Karen | ||
| Thai Loei | Thavung | - Kayo Karen | ||
| Tai Lue | So | Jingpaw / Kachin | ||
| Tai Ya | Nyah Kur | Chinese | ||
| Shan | Nyeu | Yunnanese Chinese | ||
| Southern Thai | Bru | Bisu | ||
| Phu Thai | Blang | Burmese | ||
| Phuan | Palaung | Lahu | ||
| Yong | Mon | Lisu | ||
| Yoy | Lawa | Akha | ||
| Lao Khrang | Mlabri | Mpi | ||
| Lao Ngaew | Lamet | |||
| Lao Ti | Lavua | |||
| Lao Wiang/Lao Klang | Wa | |||
| Lao Lom | Vietnamese | |||
| Lao Isan | ||||
| Saek |
Regional breakdown
Regional language data is limited. The following table shows all the language families of Northeast Thailand, as recognized in the report which is the source for the national breakdown.| Tai Language Family | Persons | Austroasiatic Language Family | Persons |
| Lao Esan / Thai Lao | 13,000,000 | Thailand Khmer / Northern Khmer | 1,400,000 |
| Central Thai | 800,000 | Kuy / Kuay | 400,000 |
| Thai Khorat / Tai Beung / Tai Deung | 600,000 | So | 70,000 |
| Thai-Loei | 500,000 | Bru | combined |
| Phu Thai | 500,000 | Vietnamese | 20,000 |
| Ngaw | 500,000 | Ngeu | 10,000 |
| Kaleung | 200,000 for | Ngah Kur / Chao Bon / Khon Dong | 7,000 |
| Yoy | Kaleung, Yoy and Phuan | So | 1,500 |
| Phuan | combined | Mon | 1,000 |
| Tai-dam | |||
| Total: | 16,103,000 | Total: | 1,909,000 |
| Cannot specify ethnicity and amount: | 3,288,000 | ||
| 21,300,000 |
Note that numbers of speakers are for the Northeast region only. Languages may have additional speakers outside the Northeast.
Provincial breakdown
Provincial-level language data is limited; those interested are directed to the Ethnolinguistic Maps of Thailand resource, or to the Ethnologue .| Province | Khmer % in 1990 | Khmer % in 2000 |
| Buriram | 0.3% | 27.6% |
| Chanthaburi | 0.6% | 1.6% |
| Maha Sarakham | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Roi Et | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Sa Kaew | N/A | 1.9% |
| Sisaket | 30.2% | 26.2% |
| Surin | 63.4% | 47.2% |
| Trat | 0.4% | 2.1% |
| Ubon Ratchathani | 0.8% | 0.3% |
Thai dialects
Two major dialects of Thai, the national language, are spoken in Thailand: Central Thai and Southern Thai. Northern Thai is spoken in the northern provinces that were formerly part of the independent kingdom of Lan Na while Isan, a Lao dialect, is the native language of the northeast. Both languages are partly mutually intelligible with Central Thai, with the degree depending on standard sociolinguistic factors.The sole official language of Thailand is Central Thai, a native language in Central, Southwestern and Eastern Thailand. Central Thai is a Kra-Dai language closely related to Lao, Shan, and numerous indigenous languages of southern China and northern Vietnam. It is the principal language of education and government and is spoken throughout the country. The standard is written in the Thai alphabet, an abugida that evolved from the Khmer script.
Although Isan, Northern Thai and, to a lesser extent, Southern Thai are classified as separate languages by most linguists, the Thai government has historically treated them as dialects of one "Thai language" for political reasons of Thai national identity building.
Minority languages
The position of all minority languages, including the largest, i.e., the Lao-based Isan in the Northeast and Kham muang in the North, is precarious given that they are not well supported in Thailand's language education policy. In the far south, Yawi, a dialect of Malay, is the primary community language of the Malay Muslims. Khmer is spoken by older Northern Khmer. Varieties of Chinese are also spoken by the older Thai Chinese population, with the Teochew dialect being best represented. However, the younger Thai Chinese and Northern Khmer trend towards speaking Thai. The Peranakan in Southern Thailand speak Southern Thai at home.Sign languages
Several village sign languages are reported among the mountain peoples, though it is not clear whether these are independent languages, as only Ban Khor Sign Language has been described. Two related deaf-community sign languages developed in Chiangmai and Bangkok; the national Thai Sign Language developed from these under the influence of American Sign Language.Endangerment status of languages
The 2014 Ethnologue country report for Thailand, which uses the EGIDS language endangerment assessment scale, lists one national language, one educational language, 27 developing languages, 18 vigorous languages, 17 threatened languages, and 7 dying languages.Most widely spoken languages
ICERD 2011 country report data
The following table shows ethnolinguistic groups in Thailand with equal to or more than 400,000 speakers according to the Royal Thai Government's 2011 Country Report to the Committee Responsible for the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.:99 and the Ethnolinguistic Maps of Thailand project. Note that the degree to which language speakers will have shifted in their idiolects towards Central Thai will depend on standard sociolinguistic factors, like age, education, gender, and proximity to an urban center.Ethnolinguistic groups of Thailand with equal to or more than 400,000 speakers:99
| Language | Speakers | Language Family |
| Central Thai | Tai-Kadai | |
| Lao | Tai-Kadai | |
| Kham Muang | Tai-Kadai | |
| Pak Tai | Tai-Kadai | |
| Northern Khmer | Austroasiatic | |
| Yawi | Austronesian | |
| Ngaw | Tai-Kadai | |
| Phu Thai | Tai-Kadai | |
| Karen | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Kuy | Austroasiatic |
Ethnologue data
The figures in the following table are for first language speakers, following Ethnologue. Note that Ethnologue describes 'Isan' as 'Northeastern Thai', following Thai government practice until the 2011 Country Report.Languages in Thailand with more than 1 million speakers according to Ethnologue
| Language | Code | Speakers | Language Family |
| Central Thai | Tai-Kadai | ||
| Northeastern Thai | Tai-Kadai | ||
| Northern Thai | Tai-Kadai | ||
| Southern Thai | Tai-Kadai | ||
| Northern Khmer | Austroasiatic | ||
| Chinese | Austroasiatic | ||
| Yawi | Austronesian |
Census data
The following table employs 2000 census data and includes international languages. Caution should be exercised with Thai census data on first language. In Thai censuses, the four largest Tai-Kadai languages of Thailand are not provided as options for language or ethnic group. People stating such a language as a first language, including Lao, are allocated to 'Thai'. This explains the disparity between the three tables in this section. For instance, self-reporting as Lao has been prohibited, due to the prohibition of the Lao ethnonym in the context of describing Thai citizens, for approximately one hundred years. The 2011 Country Report data is therefore more comprehensive in that it differentiates between the four largest Tai-Kadai languages of Thailand and between languages described as 'local languages' and 'dialects and others' in the census.* Above the age of five