When it comes to monitoring how well a country’s economy is performing, tools such as GDP, GDP/Capita, GINI Coefficient, and HDI (definition in upcoming paragraphs) – to name a few, allow us to learn more about different countries and their growth evolution. In the case of Norway and Thailand, a history of high quality of life for their citizens and being among the top nations due to their steady economic growth stirs up conversations around the policies and initiatives their governments take to maintain such results. Consequently, this blog post will discuss some key indicators and statistics through the compare and contrast framework to get a better understanding of both the Kingdom of Norway and the Kingdom of Thailand.
A brief introduction to Norway and Thailand
The Kingdom of Norway is a Northern European country with a total area of 385,207 square kilometers (148,729 sq mi). The Norwegian population as of January 2023 is 5,488,984. The official capital is Oslo formerly known as Kristiania and the official language spoken is Norwegian. Known for its authentic heritage, natural landscapes, and famous northern lights, Norway is reputed for being in the top 15 best countries to live in. Similarly, the Kingdom of Thailand, whose capital is Bangkok, is located in Southeast Asia at the center of the Indochinese Peninsula and is known for its incredible life expectancy and wide range of benefits. The Thais, natives, or inhabitants of Thailand speak Thai and also understand English and are approximately 71.6 million people (2021) with the land being 513,1210 square kilometers (198,120 sq mi).
Economic Statistics and Wealth Indicators
The Gross Domestic Product(GDP) is a key tool used to measure the size of a country’s economy while the GDP per capita measures the economic output of a nation per person. According to the World Bank national accounts, Norway had a GDP of 482.2 billion USD and a GDP per Capita of 89,154.28 USD. Furthermore, Thailand had a GDP of 505.9 billion USD and a GDP per Capita of 7,066.19 USD as of 2021. Although Norway has favorable statistical rates for employment, compared to its counterpart Thailand, the unemployment rates are lower in the latter. Because the cost of living is significantly smaller in Thailand, you are 73.4% less likely to be unemployed as well as 22.0% less likely to live below the poverty line compared to Norway as of 2018. Though the GDP statistics show a clear upward trend in the two nations’ revenue, it is imperative to take a closer look at the wealth distribution among the different economical classes. The fundamental wealth indicator that calculates how equal a country’s distribution of income is called the GINI Coefficient. The GINI Coefficient is an index score between 0 and 100 (0% to 100%). “The higher the GINI, the greater the gap between the incomes of a country’s richest and poorest people ”. For Norway, the Coefficient score is 27.6, making it the second lowest income inequality state after government taxes and transfers across the OECD –
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development founded by governments of 37 democracies to develop policy standards to promote sustainable economic growth. Meanwhile, for Thailand, the GINI Coefficient was reported in 2021 as 34.9. However, the GINI ratio alone cannot accurately depict income distribution and inequality in a country. When looking at the expenditure expenses for each country, you are 60.5% less likely to spend on education in Thailand than you would in Norway. Additionally, Norwegian citizens spend 63.8% (about 10.5% of their total GDP) more on healthcare than Thailand. With the Human Development Index or HDI metric, scientists have attempted to quantify a country’s achievements based on three basic human development categories: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living.
Standard of Living, Knowledge, Quality of Life
Rather than looking at the economic growth of a country as the sole determinator of sustainability, including Human Development metrics favors a more accurate prognosis in the country’s infant mortality, life expectancy, literacy rates, and levels of primary education. With an HDI number of 0.961, Norway ranks second while Thailand ranks 66th at 0.800 according to the Human Development Reports. The life expectancy in Thailand in 2023 is 77.74 years. However, the current infant mortality rate for Thailand in 2023 is 6.665 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.15% decline from 2022. Also, the infant mortality rate for Thailand in 2022 was 6.882 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.07% decline from 2021. Otherwise, for Norway, the life expectancy is 82.94 years yet the current infant mortality rate in 2023 is 1.705 deaths per 1000 live births, a 4.05% decline from 2022 which is 1.777 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.89% decline from 2021. Although Thailand has a lower cost of living, Norway has a noticeably lower rate of infant mortality rate and a higher life expectancy. As mentioned previously, education plays a pillar role in both countries’ development. In Norway, the literacy rates are 77%, and children and young adults have the right and obligation to complete primary and lower secondary education. Because classical studies are standard, after completion, the people are eligible for further studies or a vocation. In contrast, the literacy rate in Thailand is 94.10% as reported in 2021. Education in Thailand is largely a government responsibility and is upheld from early on. This starts with two to three years of kindergarten followed by six years of primary school from May to March for both primary and middle school.
If you have been curious as to what life outside of the US holds, based on these recently discussed statistics of Norway and Thailand, perhaps the odds look better from outside than inside. The question boils down to whether or not, you believe paying $12 USD for a dozen eggs and having a mondially feared military is better than living past 75 years with significantly less worries about having a better quality of life.
Sources
- “Norway.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Apr. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway.
- Human Development Index (HDI) by Country 2023, https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/hdi-by-country.
- “Norway – Human Development Index – HDI 2021.” Countryeconomy.com, Follow Us, https://countryeconomy.com/hdi/norway.
- “Norway Infant Mortality Rate 1950-2023.” MacroTrends, https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/NOR/norway/infant-mortality-rate.
- “Thailand.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Apr. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand.
- “General Information about Education in Norway.” Nokut, https://www.nokut.no/en/norwegian-education/general-information-about-education-in-norway/.
- “Thailand – Human Development Index – HDI 2021.” Countryeconomy.com, Follow Us, https://countryeconomy.com/hdi/thailand.
- “Education System in Thailand.” Thailand Education System, https://www.scholaro.com/db/countries/thailand/education-system.
- Gini Coefficient by Country 2023, https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gini-coefficient-by-country.
- “Norway Compared to Thailand.” MyLifeElsewhere, https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/compare/norway/thailand.
- 11. Nations, United. “Specific Country Data.” Human Development Reports, https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/THA
1 reply on “Life in The Kingdoms: Natural Landscapes, Economy, and Quality of Life”
Ann, this is a thorough and well-written post- great work! I hadn’t thought about your cases as both being kingdoms- what a fascinating pair you have selected! One little note for your future blogs- for your sources, include the number of the footnote in the text where you get the information- this connects the specific information you got directly to the place you got it (it seems silly in shorter pieces like this, but it’s to get in the habit, so when you’re writing longer pieces, it will feel like second nature). In a word/google doc, you could “insert footnote” and it would add the tiny number for you, but in a blog, you can just put (1) (2) (etc). after the information.
Please keep up the great work!