How many people live in Bangkok depends on which official count you use. Thailand's civil registration, compiled by the Department of Provincial Administration and published by the National Statistical Office (NSO), recorded 5,422,568 people registered in Bangkok in 2025. The last census for which the NSO publishes Bangkok totals in its open data, taken in 2010, counted 8,305,218 people actually living in the city. The gap between those two numbers is the most interesting fact about Bangkok's population.
This page sets out both figures, with their dates and sources, explains why they differ, and shows how the registered population is spread across Bangkok's 50 districts.
Bangkok's registered population
Every Thai resident has a house registration, and the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) counts people by the address in that register. The NSO publishes these counts by province and district. For Bangkok, they show a slow decline over the past five years:
| Year | Registered population, Bangkok |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 5,527,994 |
| 2022 | 5,494,932 |
| 2023 | 5,471,588 |
| 2024 | 5,455,020 |
| 2025 | 5,422,568 |
In the 2025 figures, 2,896,296 of Bangkok's registered residents were women and 2,526,272 were men. Thailand as a whole had 65,809,011 registered residents, so Bangkok's register accounts for a little over 8 percent of the country.
What the census counts
A census counts people where they actually live, whatever their house registration says. The NSO's published census series for Bangkok shows a city that grew quickly:
- 1990 census: 5,882,411
- 2000 census: 6,355,144
- 2010 census: 8,305,218
The 2010 census count is almost three million higher than the registered population today. The NSO's census data also measured the reason at national level: in 2010, 8,223,764 people across Thailand were living somewhere other than the address in their house registration, 6,092,640 of them in municipal areas. The catalog does not break that figure down by province, but it points to the same explanation for Bangkok's gap.
Why the two numbers differ
Many people move to Bangkok for work or university without changing their house registration, which often stays at the family home in the provinces. They live, commute and work in Bangkok but are counted by the register in another province. The census also counts foreign residents and workers living in the city.
So for planning purposes, the registered figure of about 5.4 million understates the number of people using Bangkok every day, and the 2010 census count of 8.3 million is the better guide to the size of the resident population, though it is now more than 15 years old. Neither figure covers the wider metropolitan area: suburbs such as Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan, home to Suvarnabhumi Airport, are separate provinces with their own counts.
Where Bangkok's registered residents live
Bangkok is divided into 50 districts (khet). The registered population is largest in the outer districts and smallest in the historic and commercial core. In 2025 the most populous districts by registration were Khlong Sam Wa (215,427) and Sai Mai (212,912) in the northeast and north, followed by Bang Khae, Nong Chok and Bang Khun Thian. The smallest were in the center: Samphanthawong, the Chinatown district, had 18,329 registered residents, and Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Phra Nakhon, Pathum Wan and Bang Rak each had around 36,000 to 41,000.
That pattern matches what visitors see. The districts where most sights and hotels are, such as Phra Nakhon around the Grand Palace and Pathum Wan around the Siam malls, have relatively few registered residents but very large daytime crowds of workers, shoppers and tourists. For a view across the whole spread of the city, the observation deck at King Power Mahanakhon SkyWalk in Bang Rak looks out over the center.
What it means for visitors
A city of more than eight million residents, plus commuters and visitors, has heavy road traffic at peak times. Rail is usually the better way to move around the center; see what time the BTS opens for Skytrain hours, and our guides to Bangkok attractions and hotels to choose a base near a station.
Sources: National Statistical Office: population by area from registration (DOPA data), National Statistical Office: population from the census, National Statistical Office: population not living at their registered address. Checked September 26, 2026.
About 5.4 million people are registered in Bangkok: the 2025 registration figure published by the National Statistical Office is 5,422,568. The 2010 census, which counts where people actually live, found 8,305,218, because many residents keep their house registration in another province.
8,305,218, according to the National Statistical Office. Earlier censuses counted 5,882,411 in 1990 and 6,355,144 in 2000.
The registered population has fallen slightly each year, from 5,527,994 in 2021 to 5,422,568 in 2025. Registration does not capture people who live in Bangkok while registered elsewhere, so it is not a complete measure of the resident population.
Fifty. In 2025 the most populous by registration were Khlong Sam Wa and Sai Mai, and the least populous was Samphanthawong, the Chinatown district.
By registration, a little over 8 percent: 5,422,568 of Thailand's 65,809,011 registered residents in 2025.
No. They are separate provinces with their own counts, even though they form part of the wider built-up area around Bangkok.
