The birth rate in Thailand has been steadily falling over the past 5 years, so the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has discussed, with various organisations, the creation of a roadmap, to help women from conception to birth.
Approximately 702,000 births were recorded in 2017. In 2020, however, there were only about 587,000, which is the first time in 70 years that the rate has fallen below 600,000. In the past, as many as a million births in a single year were recorded.
Births in Thailand continued to decrease in 2021, when about 544,000 were recorded, the first year in which there were fewer births than deaths, recorded at around 563,000.
The low birth rate leads to significant changes in demographics, in which the proportion the population who are elderly is greater than the working population, leading to fewer taxpayers which, in turn, will affect the economics of the country in the future.
The roadmap, created by the MoPH and other organisations, includes creating positive attitudes towards having children among the younger generation, including rights to maternity leave, the easing of the financial burden for those who have children aged up to 5, as well as helping with medical services for those who have trouble getting pregnant.