PRESS RELEASE
Contact: G. Lawrence DeMarco, LLM
Email: ldemarco@menandboys.net
Phone: +1-215-901-1930
Thailand’s National Data Reveal Persistent Male Disadvantage
February 6, 2026 – Thailand’s national data shows a consistent pattern of outcomes in which men and boys face significantly higher risks across education, health, safety, and economic life.
Education
Indicators show persistent gaps disadvantaging male students. Gross tertiary enrollment stands at 38.6% for men compared to 51.6% for women (1), producing a female-to-male student ratio of 1.26 at the tertiary level (2). These disparities begin earlier, as male adolescents experience a dropout rate of 20.5%, more than twice the 8.7% recorded for females (3).
Health
Male life expectancy is 74.65 years, compared to 80.83 years for females (4). Mortality data reinforce this disparity, with 227.9 deaths per 100,000 among men—more than double the 97 deaths per 100,000 observed among women (5).
Child Labor
Data show a strong gender imbalance. Boys account for 71.9% of children engaged in child labor, while girls represent 28.1%, indicating substantially higher early labor exposure among boys (6).
Homicide
Men face far greater exposure to lethal violence. Thailand’s homicide rate among men is 6.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 1.13 per 100,000 among women (7).
Suicide
Men die by suicide at a rate of 28.2 per 100,000 population, compared to 5.5 per 100,000 among females (8)(9).
Homelessness
A national survey by Thailand’s Community Organizations Development Institute found that approximately 86% of people experiencing homelessness were male (10).
Workplace
Male workers experience approximately 34 injuries per 1,000 workers per year, compared to 18 per 1,000 among female workers, displaying a significantly higher occupational risk for men (11).
Conclusion.
Thailand’s national policies should recognize these areas of male disadvantage and address them through inclusive, evidence-based action.
The International Council for Men and Boys (ICMB) is a non-governmental organization working to celebrate the contributions of men to society and to end the 12 sex-based disparities affecting men and boys worldwide. ICMB has conducted analyses of male disadvantage in more than 50 countries, available at https://www.menandboys.net/country/.
Links:
1.https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/se-ter-enrr?gender=male
2.https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Thailand/Female_to_male_ratio_students_tertiary_level_educa/#:~:text=Ratio%20of%20female%20to%20male,in%20public%20and%20private%20schools.
3.https://papers.iafor.org/wp-
content/uploads/papers/aceid2025/ACEID2025_92199.pdf?t=8&utm
5.https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-dyn-amrt?gender=male
6.https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iWVa2AizvC-ggLVL0_G_W9Xovt_EMatF/view?usp=sharing
7.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide_statistics_by_gender
8.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.MA.P5
9.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.FE.P5