Organization of the government of Thailand

Thailand is a unitary state in Southeast Asia. This means all government services are organized under one central authority.

A special law, the National Government Organisation Act, BE 2534 (1991), guides how the government is structured.

The Act organizes the government into three main levels: central, provincial, and local.

The central level has departments and ministries that handle issues for the whole country. Provincial levels manage services in each province, making sure local areas get the support they need. Local governments focus on the needs of communities, towns, and villages.

Understanding Thailand’s government helps us see how decisions are made and services are provided for people across the country. It shows how national and local leaders work together to support everyone.

Central government

See also: Cabinet of Thailand

The central government in Thailand has ministries, bureaus, and departments. Each ministry or bureau is led by a minister who is part of the Council of Ministers. Departments are led by a director general.

There is a special agency called the Office of the Prime Minister, led by the prime minister, which has the same status as a ministry. There are also independent agencies directly under the prime minister, such as the Bureau of the Royal Household, National Police Agency, National Office of Buddhism, Royal Institute of Thailand, and the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre.

Provincial government

Thailand is divided into areas called provinces. In 2018, there were 76 provinces. Each province has a leader called a Governor. The provinces are split into smaller areas called districts. In 2010, there were 878 districts in the country.

Each province has one main district called the capital district. For example, the capital district of Chiang Mai Province is Mueang Chiang Mai District. Each district is managed by a Chief District Officer. Before 2007, some provinces had smaller areas called minor districts. These were led by an Assistant Chief District Officer. These leaders are chosen by the central government.

Local government

Local government in Thailand has two types: ordinary and special.

Ordinary local government has two forms. The old form, started in 1914, groups areas with local leaders. The new form, starting in 1953, includes cities, towns, and smaller areas. Each has its own leaders chosen by local people.

Special local government is for important places like Bangkok and Pattaya. Bangkok and Pattaya each have their own leaders and councils chosen by local citizens. There are plans for special local governments in other places like Chiang Mai and Mae Sot, but these plans are still being discussed.

Historical subdivisions

From the early 1900s until 1932, Thailand had special areas called monthon. Some bigger monthons were split into smaller parts called boriwen. The main local areas were named mueang. Some mueang reported directly to Bangkok, while others were supervised by nearby mueang or were part of semi-independent states. By 1906, the name changed to changwat, and this was completed by 1916.

After the monthon system ended, a new level called "region" (Phak) was created. It began with four regions, which grew to nine by 1951, but these regions were later removed in 1956.

There were also areas called sukhaphiban for cleaning and waste tasks, starting in 1908. In May 1999, these became smaller town governments.

Until 2007, there were special smaller districts called king amphoe. New districts often started as king amphoe before becoming full districts. In August 2007, all 81 king amphoe became full districts.

Informal subdivisions

Bangkok and the areas around it, including five nearby provinces, are called the Bangkok Metropolitan Region.

Thailand can be divided into different regions. The National Statistical Office uses four main regions: north, northeast, south, and central.