Education at a Glance 2026: Thailand
Table of contents
This country note provides an overview of the key characteristics of the education system in Thailand based on data from Education at a Glance 2026. In line with this year’s thematic focus, it emphasises teacher shortages while also covering other parts of the education system. The data in this note are provided for the latest available year. Readers interested in the reference years for the data should refer to the corresponding tables in Education at a Glance 2026.
Participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is common among children from the age of 3 in all OECD countries. In Thailand, 90% of children between the age of 3 and the starting age of primary education (age 6 in Thailand) were enrolled in ECEC in 2024, higher than the OECD average of 90% (Figure 1).
The number of primary and secondary schools – and thus their geographical proximity to students – varies across countries. Many countries have more primary than lower secondary schools, reflecting the desire to provide education close to primary students’ homes while offering secondary students the greater choice of specialist subjects that can only be provided by larger schools. In Thailand, there are 3.08 primary schools for each lower secondary school, above the OECD average of 1.99 (Figure B2.4).
Average class size in primary education across all institutions is 21 students in 2024, increasing to 23 students in lower secondary education. This difference reflects the transition from a generalist teaching model in primary education to the more subject-specialised organisation of secondary education. This pattern is observed in the majority of countries and is particularly pronounced in Thailand, where average class size increases from 20 students in primary education to 36 students in lower secondary education (Table D2.3).
At tertiary level (ISCED 5-8), most OECD countries host a larger number of international students than they send abroad. On average across the OECD, outbound internationally mobile students account for 6% of all national students (whether enrolled domestically or abroad), while inbound students account for 12% of all students enrolled domestically in 2024. In Thailand the share of outbound international students is 2%, while inbound international students average 2%. The top three destination countries for outbound students in Thailand are Australia (33%), the United Kingdom (18%) and the United States (15%), while the top three origin countries of inbound students are China (60%), Myanmar (18%) and Cambodia (4%) (Table B4.3 and Table B4.4).
In many countries, inbound mobility has increased faster than outbound mobility among tertiary students. On average across the OECD, the share of inbound mobile students increased by 4 percentage points between 2015 and 2024, and the share of outbound mobile students increased by 1 percentage point. In Thailand, the share of inbound students increased by 1 percentage point, while the share of outbound students remained the same (Figure 2 and Table B4.3).
All ECE programmes, in per cent
Note: The numbers in parentheses refer to the age when compulsory primary education starts.
1. The legal age at which school becomes compulsory is 6, but children are allowed in legislation to attend primary education from age 4, and most attend from age 5.
2. The legal age at which school becomes compulsory is 6, but children are allowed in legislation to attend primary education from age 5, and most do.
3. Year of reference differs from 2015.
For data, see OECD (2026) Education at a Glance 2026: OECD Indicators, https://doi.org/b4968bbc-en, Figure B1.1 and Table B1.2.
Inbound international students as a percentage of all students enrolled domestically and outbound international students as a percentage of all national students (whether enrolled domestically or abroad); ISCED levels 5-8
1. Year of reference differs from 2024.
For data, see OECD (2026) Education at a Glance 2026: OECD Indicators, https://doi.org/b4968bbc-en, Figure B4.1 and Table B4.3.
Teachers spend only a fraction of their working time teaching; the remainder is devoted to other tasks, including lesson preparation and marking. On average across the OECD, primary teachers taught 770 hours per year compared to 710 hours per year in lower secondary education. Teaching time in lower secondary education ranges from under 500 hours per year in Bulgaria, Poland and Thailand to over 1 000 hours in Chile and Costa Rica. In Thailand, annual minimum teaching hours were 449 for both primary and lower secondary education. In Thailand, however, the reported figure represents the minimum statutory teaching time required of teachers and may therefore slightly underestimate the actual teaching time of many teachers. Thailand was one of the few countries where teachers in primary education did not have to teach more hours than their lower secondary colleagues (Figure 3).
Net statutory teaching time in hours per year, in public institutions
Note: Please refer to the source table for information on whether the data refer to typical, minimum or maximum hours.
1. Actual teaching time (in Latvia except for pre-primary level).
2. Reference year differs from 2023. Refer to the source table for details.
3. Average planned teaching time in each school at the beginning of the school year.
For data, see OECD (2026) Education at a Glance 2026: OECD Indicators, https://doi.org/b4968bbc-en, Figure D4.1 and Table D4.1.
Teachers’ statutory salaries vary widely across countries. The statutory salaries of lower secondary teachers with the most prevalent qualifications after 15 years of experience range from less than USD 30 000 per year in Argentina and the Slovak Republic to more than USD 100 000 in Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In Thailand, the statutory salary of a lower secondary teacher after 15 years of experience is USD 41 745, well below the OECD average of USD 66 583 (Table D3.1).
Teachers’ salaries generally increase with years of experience. This is particularly the case in Thailand, where the statutory salary of a lower secondary teacher doubles, from USD 20 838 at the start of the career to USD 41 745 after 15 years of experience. By contrast, across OECD countries, the average statutory salary increases from USD 49 712 at the start of the career to USD 66 583 after 15 years, an increase of 34% on average (Figure D3.2).
Women form the majority of teachers at all levels of education except tertiary. Teachers in pre-primary education are almost entirely women with 96% of teachers being female on average across the OECD. The share of women among pre-primary teachers in Thailand is slightly lower at 71%. At 65%, the share of female teachers in lower secondary education is lower, and it is below the OECD average of 68% (Table D5.1).
Across the OECD, women are more strongly represented among teachers than among school management staff. In primary education, women in Thailand accounted for 68% of teachers and 46% of school management staff in 2024, a gap of 22 percentage points. This gap was larger than the OECD average of 15 percentage points (Figure D5.3).
Teachers in Thailand are relatively young compared with those in OECD countries. Some 36% of primary and secondary teachers in Thailand are under the age of 35, compared with 22% on average across OECD countries. This is the highest proportion among OECD and partner countries. By contrast, only 13% of teachers in Thailand are aged 55 or over, compared with the OECD average of 23% (Table 4).
Contact
For more information on Education at a Glance 2026 and to access the full set of indicators, see: https://doi.org/b4968bbc-en.
For more information on the methodology used during the data collection for each indicator, the references to the sources and the specific notes for each country, see Education at a Glance 2026: Sources, Methodologies and Technical Notes, https://doi.org/b4968bbc-en.
For general information on the methodology, please refer to the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304444-en.
Updated data can be found online at http://data-explorer.oecd.org/ and by following the StatLinks in the publication.
Explore, compare and visualise more data and analysis using the Education GPS: https://gpseducation.oecd.org/.
Questions can be directed to the Education at a Glance team at the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills: EDU.EAG@oecd.org.
This work is issued under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD, and does not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD Member countries.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.
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The full book is available in English: OECD (2026), Education at a Glance 2026: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/b4968bbc-en.
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