1. List (by population size)

2. Listed by language group

3. See also

4. Further reading

5. References

6. External links

The 2011 Thailand Country Report provides population numbers for mountain peoples ("hill tribes") and ethnic communities in the northeast and is explicit about its reliance on the Mahidol University Ethnolinguistic Maps of Thailand data.^[3] Thus, though over 3.288 million people in the northeast alone could not be categorised, the population and percentages of other ethnic communities c. 1997 are known and constitute minimum populations. In descending order, the largest (equal to or greater than 400,000) are a) 15,080,000 Lao (24.9 percent) consisting of the Thai Lao^[4] (14 million) and other smaller Lao groups, namely the Thai Loei (400-500,000), Lao Lom (350,000), Lao Wiang/Klang (200,000), Lao Khrang (90,000), Lao Ngaew (30,000), and Lao Ti (10,000; b) six million Khon Muang (9.9 percent, also called Northern Thais); c) 4.5 million Pak Tai (7.5 percent, also called Southern Thais); d) 1.4 million Khmer Leu (2.3 percent, also called Northern Khmer); e) 900,000 Malay (1.5 percent); f) 500,000 Ngaw (0.8 percent); g) 470,000 Phu Thai (0.8 percent); h) 400,000 Kuy/Kuay (also known as Suay) (0.7 percent), and i) 350,000 Karen (0.6 percent).^[1]{{RP|7-13}}

Khmer and Mon-Khmer make up approximately 6 percent, the Malays of southern Thailand make up around 3 percent. Among the groups categorized as hill tribes in the northern provinces, Hmong (Mien), Karen, and other small hill tribes make up over 1 percent.

In official Thai documents the term "hill tribe" (chao khao) began to appear in the 1960s. This term highlights a "hill and valley" dichotomy that is based on an ancient social relationship existing in most of northern and western Thailand, as well as in Sipsongpanna and northern Vietnam. For the most part the Dai/Tai/Thai occupied the more fertile intermontane basins and valleys, while the less powerful groups lived at the less rich higher elevations. This dichotomy was often accompanied by a master/serf relationship.^[5] Vestiges of this dichotomy remain today: for example, 30 percent of ethnic minority children in Thailand cannot read by second grade. The corresponding figure for Bangkok is one percent.^[6]

List (by population size)

• Tai – c. 59–60 million
  • Central Thai (Siamese) c. 25 million
  • Southern Thai (Thai Pak Tai) – c. 5.5 million
  • Khorat Thai – c. 500,000
  • Assimilated Mon – 114,500
  • Isan (Thai-Lao; Thai Isan; Isan Lao) – c. 18.5–20 million
  • {{ill|Thais of Vietnamese descent|lt=Assimilated Vietnamese|th|ไทยเชื้อสายญวน}} – Unknown
  • Mainland Lao – 222,000
  • Phu Thai – 470,000
  • Yuan（Thai Yuan; Lanna) – c. 6–7 million
  • Shan（Thai Yai）– 95,000
  • Assimilated Sino-Thai (Luk Chin) – c. 6–9 million
  • Assimilated Khmer-Thai – > 1.2 million
  • Assimilated Persian – c. 200,000
  • Assimilated Pashtun – c. 20,000
  • {{ill|Thais of Portuguese descent|lt=Assimilated Portguese|th|ไทยเชื้อสายโปรตุเกส}} – c. 50,000

• Malays – 2–4 million
• Karen – c. 1 million
• Kuy – 400,000
• Hmong – 250,070
• Phuan – 200,000

• Lahu – 100,000
• Lue (Thai Lü) – 83,000
• Sô – 70,000
• Nyaw – 50,000
• Tai Ya – 50,000
• Lua – 48,000
• Lisu – 40,000
• Yao – 40,000
• Bru – 25,000
• Akha – c. 20,000
• Phai – 20,000
• Vietnamese – 17,662
• Lawa – 17,000
• Saek – 11,000
• Khmu – 10,000

• Khun（Thai Khun – 6,280
• Palaung (De'ang) – 5,000
• Cham – 4,000
• Urak Lawoi – 3,000
• Moken – c. 2,000
• Nyahkur (Nyah Kur, Chao-bon) – 1,500
• Tai Dam (Black Tai) – 700
• Chong – less than 500
• Pear – less than 500
• Sa'och – less than 500
• Mlabri – less than 400
• Mani (Negrito) – 300

• Lolo (Yi) – unknown

• Sea Gypsies – Unknown

Listed by language group

The following table comprises all the ethnic groups recognised 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^[1]

The above table has not yet been harmonised with the alphabetical listing of languages below and is more comprehensive.

The following table shows all the ethnic groups of Northeast Thailand, as recognised in the same report.

Note that population numbers are for the northeast region only. Languages may have additional speakers outside the northeast.

Incomplete alphabetical listing of groups:

• Tai–Kadai – Siamese (Thai Chinese, southern Thai), Laotian (Phu Thai), Lanna, Lü, Saek, Shan, Tai Dam, Tai Nüa
• Mon–Khmer – Bru, Khmer, Khmu, Kuy, Lawa, Lua, Mani, Mlabri, Mon, Nyahkur (Nyah Kur, Chao-bon), Palaung (De'ang), Phai, So
• Sino-Tibetan – Chin Haw, Akha, Karen, Lahu, Lisu, Lolo (Yi)
• Malayo-Polynesian – Cham, Malay, Moken, Urak Lawoi
• Hmong–Mien – Hmong, Yao
• Thai Indians (kaek)

See also

• Demographics of Thailand

Further reading

• {{Cite book |author=Charles Keyes |title=Ethnicity and the Nation-States of Thailand and Vietnam |work=Challenging the Limits: Indigenous Peoples of the Mekong Region |publisher=Mekong Press |year=2008}}

References

External links

• Ethnologue report for Thailand

• HMS Walney (M104)
• HMS Walrus (S08)
• HMS Warmingham (M2737)
• H.M.S. Warrior
• Hms warrior
• HMS Warrior (1781)
• HMS Warspite (1666)
• HMS Warspite (1758)
• HMS Warspite (1807)
• HMS Warspite (1913)
• HMS Warwick (D25)
• HMS Wasp
• HMS Waterloo (1818)
• HMS Waterloo (1833)
• HMS Water Witch
• HMS Waterwitch
• HMS Waterwitch (1892)
• HMS Weazle
• HMS Wellesley
• HMS Wellesley (1815)
• HMS Wellington (1816)
• HMS Wellington (U65)
• HMS Wells
• HMS Wem (1919)
• HMS Wexham (M2738)