Country Comments

Thailand is situated in Southeast Asia just north of the equator and is blessed with an abundance of biodiversity, rich forests, minerals, marine life, and beautiful beaches.

Thailand has made remarkable progress in social and economic development, moving from a low-income to an upper middle-income country in less than a generation, but it has led to the overexploitation and degradation of much of these resources. (1)

Much of the human progress can be attributed to a push to have smaller families started back in the 1970s, when an anti-poverty program swept the country led by an activist named Mechai Viravaidya, who became known as “Mr. Condom.” In two decades Thailand’s total fertility rate plunged from 6.2 children per woman to 2.2 all voluntarily with full human rights. It was great foresight because it slowed the path of unsustainable population growth in the country. The low fertility rate has been so successful the government is now attempting to reverse this trend. With a total population over twice as big as can be supported by its own renewable resources, its government should continue to promote small families as not only great for social and economic prosperity but for the environment as well.

(1) https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/thailand