THE REALITY 26 BIGGEST CITY IN THAILAND

First please understand that in Thailand the meaning of a “City” is a municipality ( เทศบาล ) NOT Amphoe Mueang ( อำเภอเมือง ) because Amphoe Mueang or City District is a capital district of the province that including cities. Amphoe Mueang has a large and wide area that some area of Amphoe Mueang still has no power or water. And Some cities aren’t Amphoe Mueang like Hat Yai.


NOTES : There are 74 Amphoe Mueang in Thailand NOT 75 or 76 ( Ayutthaya has no Amphoe Mueang - - they called Amphoe Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya instead of Amphoe Mueang and also Bangkok because Bangkok isn’t a province but Bangkok is a special administration district like Pattaya. So in official, Thailand has 75 provinces NOT 76 provinces. )


Please remark that in Thailand, the provinces’ capital cities and provinces’ name are the same like Chiang Mai, it is also a name of a city ( capital city of Chiang Mai Province ) and a name of a province too.

There are 3 kinds of municipality, depend on population and revenues. They are…

1. City Municipality ( Thetsaban Nakhon – เทศบาลนคร ) which population is over 50,000

2. Town Municipality ( Thetsaban Mueang – เทศบาลเมือง ) which population is 10,000 – 50,000

3. Commune Municipality ( Thetsaban Tambon – เทศบาลตำบล ) which population is below 10,000

There are 21 City Municipalities, 85 Town Municipalities and 1,024 Commune Municipalities right now.

Here are 26 reality biggest cities in Thailand. Some cities, the population that you see is much less than that you think like Nakhon Ratchasima ( Khorat ). The city population is 152,857 ( In municipality ). Because the population you think is the population of the City District ( In all Amphoe Mueang ), that is 204,433.


No. --- City --- Province --- Population --- Notes / Municipal Status


1.---Bangkok ( Krung Thep Maha Nakhon )----Bangkok Metropolitan Administration---5,640,258---Bangkok isn’t a province but Bangkok is a special administration district like Pattaya and hasn’t a municipality . So in official, Thailand has 75 provinces NOT 76 provinces.

2.---Nonthaburi---Nonthaburi Province---266,731---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครนนทบุรี )

3.---Pak Kret---Nonthaburi Province---164,966---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครปากเกร็ด )

4.---Hat Yai---Song Khla Province---154,852---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครหาดใหญ่ )

5.---Nakhon Ratchasima---Nakhon Ratchasima Province---152,832---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครนครราชสีมา )

6.---Chiang Mai---Chiang Mai Province---151,052---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครเชียงใหม่ )

7.---Udon Thani---Udon Thani Province---144,920---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครอุดรธานี )

8.---Khon Kaen---Khon Kaen Province---122,039---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครขอนแก่น )

9.---Surat Thani---Surat Thani Province---121,010---Town Municipality ( will become City Municipality soon. ) ( เทศบาลเมืองสุราษฎร์ธานี )

10.---Nakhon Si Thammarat---Nakhon Si Thammarat Province---104,973---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครนครศรีธรรมราช )

11.---Nakhon Sawan---Nakhon Sawan Province---93,823---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครนครสวรรค์ )

12.---Pattaya---Chon Buri Province---92,800---Pattaya City ( A special administration district ) ( เมืองพัทยา )

13.---Ubon Ratchathani---Ubon Ratchathani Province---87,024---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครอุบลราชธานี )

14.---Nakhon Pathom---Nakhon Pathom Province---84,403---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครนครปฐม )

15.---Phitsanulok---Phitsanulok Province---80,504---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครพิษณุโลก )

16.---Song Khla---Song Khla Province---76,732---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครสงขลา )

17.---Phuket---Phuket Province---74,743---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครภูเก็ต )

18.---Chiang Rai---Chiang Rai Province---69,231---Town Municipality ( will become City Municipality soon. ) ( เทศบาลเมืองเชียงราย )

19.---Yala---Yala Province---65,595--- City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครยะลา )

20.---Lampang---Lampang Province---61,504---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครลำปาง )

21.---Sara Buri---Sara Buri Province---61,444---Town Municipality ( will become City Municipality soon. ) ( เทศบาลเมืองสระบุรี )

22.---Trang---Trang Province---59,392---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครตรัง )

23.---Samut Prakan---Samut Prakan Province---57,471---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครสมุทรปราการ )

24.---Samut Sakhon---Samut Sakhon Province---56,769---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครสมุทรสาคร )

25.---Nakhon Si Ayutthaya---Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province---55,257---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครนครศรีอยุธยา )

26.---Rayong---Rayong Province---54,400---City Municipality ( เทศบาลนครระยอง )


Data from :

Ministry of Interior, Royal Thai Government
www.moi.go.th

Department of Provincial Administration, Ministry of Interior www.dopa.go.th

Department of Local Administration, Ministry of Interior
www.thailocaladmin.go.th/index.jsp


All data is updated on 30 March 2005.

Thanks Pas for suggestion about Pattaya.

I'd like to know how can I attach photos in this webboard, please help me! Thanks

Hello everybody!

Great info. Welcome to the webboard. If you search the past post you may find instruction on how to post images on the board. Maybe someone can find a quick link fo Ton???

Welcome krub kun Ton

Welcome Ton!

Posting picture. You have you host up your pictures at a site. I suggest www.photobucket.com. Then take the URL and put it in that thing where it asks for the url

Welcome to SSC Ton :hi:

FAQ » How to post/host/attach/upload images (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=59844)

Thank you so much.

The-17-floor Building of Top Land Plaza, The tallest tower in Phitsanulok.
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/613/504topland-thumb.jpg

Pailyn Hotel, the 2nd tallest tower in Phitsanulok.
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/613/504pailinhotel-thumb.jpg

The Napalai Condominium, the tallest tower in Hat Yai and in the south. ( 45 floors. )
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/613/504dscn0542-thumb.jpg

The Health Sciences Research Institute Naresuan University, Phitsanulok
http://www.hsri.nu.ac.th/Image/hsri_building.gif

Hat Yai Skyline.
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/613/7091dscn0547_-thumb.jpg

thanks for the info Ton. very interesting.

Why Surat Thani is still a town (Muang) but not a City (Nakhon). it ranked as the ninth biggest city in thailand. I personally dont think the town with the population less than 50,000 deserve to be called "Nakhon".

Khun Odonto, It seems to me that Surat Thani Town Muni has FAILED to improve many things so they still stuck with the status as "Town" instead of getting the "City" Status.

On the other hand, the status of Songkla as a twin town of Hat Yai has herlp to get the status of City despite of the smaller number than the minimum limit of 100000 population.

Thanks Wisarut,

what about Rayong , Ayutthaya and Samut Sakon? Those town are even smaller than Song Khla. From the list ,obviously 100,000 resident is not a crucial criteria for a small town to become a "Nakhon (city)". so what is a criteria then?? And again, the biggest city in Thailand is 21 times bigger than its second city!! what a huge gap!. We urgently need to reduce/stabilise the size of bangkok now and focus more on provincial cities in the the remote regions.

Thank you khun Ton for this interesting Information.
But I doubt this is really a "real" 25 largest cities in Thailand.
My house in Chiang Mai is just next to Huaykaew Road where has many 10-15 storey condos and has a pretty densed population but it is not in the area of Chiang Mai city municipal at all.

Some Amphur in Chiang Mai such as Mae Rim, Hang Dong and Saraphii I think can be counted together with Amphur Muang Chiang Mai as one single city since there is no obvious blank area between them. That means if we define one build up area to be one city no mention how different the administration area they are, there may exist another real ranking of 25 largest city in Thailand. Then Chiang Mai, Nakorn Ratchasima, Chonburi may has a smaller gap to Bangkok.

Do they make population statistics of the 'built up area' as well? It would be really interesting to see.

wad dee krub khun Ton!


The-17-floor Building of Top Land Plaza, The tallest tower in Phitsanulok.
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/613/504topland-thumb.jpg

I stayed on the top floor of that hotel! very nice views indeed.

Do they make population statistics of the 'built up area' as well? It would be really interesting to see.

yes I was thinking the same. I thought that Chiang Mai city has a population of about 500,000. And where is Pattaya on that list? Pattaya is a city in itself with elected governor like Bangkok...

Yay....
Khon Kaen's in the chart!!!!!!!

Hard keeping track of new Thai forumers now :D

1. The status of Town or City Municipality depends on revenues and governing of municipality too, not only population. That why Surat Thani, Chiang Rai and Saraburi are still Town Municipality.

The City Municipality must have population more than 50,000 with enough revenues and having good governing.

Oh! I'm so sorry I forgot Pattaya, the population is 92,800 so the rank is 12 instead of Ubon Ratchathani.
Thanks Pas for your suggestion na Krab.

2. The Built-up area population is interesting but it's difficult to define and understand where is its limit because the standard is your feeling and your thinking and you have to see and visit every cities that are there any commune or town municipalities near the big cities and use your feeling to count them to be a built-up area. Some people think Saraphi or Mae Rim is so far from Chiang Mai but some think it should be a built-up area of Chiang Mai. But I understand you. It will get a problem with other cities because of standard you use like Nonthaburi - Pak Kret - Pathum Thani - Nakhon Pathom - Samut Prakan and Bangkok can count to be one city or Chon Buri - Laem Chabang - Si Racha or Ubon Ratchathani - Warin Chamrap but some people think they should be separated.

I got to admit that the built up area is a very difficult to define. It's very evident when riding into Bangkok from the countryside - you got a cluster of buildings then forest or agricultured areas and then either a suburb or a detatched town etc. Who knows where the logical border should be drawn.

It shouldn't right that Chiang Mai City has a population of 500,000 . Don't use your feeling! All Chaing Mai Province has population of 1,600,000! with area of 20,107 sq kms ( the 2nd biggest province in Thailand after Nakhon Ratchasima ) and there are 24 Amphoe!

Because Thailand has poor city planning. You can build 50 storeys building in rice-paddies if you have money.

Very good point Khun Ton, I also agree that it is difficult to define where is the exact border of the built up area.
Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathumthanii, Samutprakarn and Nakornpathom may be one single city in this meaning.
We may need the bird eye view picture of the entire built up area of every city in Thailand to rank 25 largest cities. :)

:dance:

I have just found this one - thanks especially for the explanations in front about the different kinds of towns in Thailand. What I'm still wondering about is how the towns relate with the Amphoe and Tambon subdivisions. The complete area of a Amphoe is divided into tambon, of which one or several can be towns (thesaban tambon). However what happens if a thesaban nakhon or thesaban mueang is located in that Amphoe? Is it then simply that some of the tambon belong to the nakhon/mueang, while others don't? Or are the boundaries of a nakhon/mueang not following the tambon boundaries? Is there a list at MOI or at DOPA which lists the tambon belonging to the various cities?

Welcome, andyho. :)

In my reason, the population of each Municipalital city in Thailand means that people who has registered within that Municipalital boundary. It s not included the people living outside that area. Some or many Tambon may be belonged to the nakhon/mueang depending on the size of that city.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/boyHY/hatyaihigh.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/boyHY/CIMG6253.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/boyHY/000017.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/boyHY/000042.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/boyHY/000035.jpg

wow...........it's big

wow Hat yai looks like a sprawling city.

However what happens if a thesaban nakhon or thesaban mueang is located in that Amphoe? Is it then simply that some of the tambon belong to the nakhon/mueang, while others don't? Or are the boundaries of a nakhon/mueang not following the tambon boundaries? Is there a list at MOI or at DOPA which lists the tambon belonging to the various cities?

This may explains it

Tambon (Thai: ตำบล) is a local government unit in Thailand. Below district (amphoe, Thai: อำเภอ) and province (changwat, Thai: จังหวัด), they form the third administrative subdivision level. As of the 2000 census there are 7254 tambon, not including the 154 kwaeng (แขวง) of Bangkok, which are set at the same administrative level, thus every district contains 8-10 tambon. Tambon is usually translated as "commune" or "subdistrict" in English, although the latter may be used as a translation for king amphoe. Tambon are further subdivided into 69,307 villages (muban, หมู่บ้าน), about 10 per tambon. Tambon within cities or town have no subdivision into villages, but into communities (chumchon).

I find the concept of "kwaeng" แขวง is harder to define though as it could refer to a local area in one district which could belong to another district.

dont't forgot Ubon and Warinchamrap are twin cities. just take3 - 5 minutes for driving. population of Warin is over 30,000 and almost 20,000 student at education zone(Srikai district,Warin) .