Thailand is the global leader for online shopping and weekly online grocery purchases, and among the top countries for mobile app spending, according to the Digital 2025 report by creative digital agency We Are Social and media monitoring firm Meltwater.
However, the country ranks poorly on data privacy concerns.
Thailand has 99.5 million mobile connections, with 65.4 million internet users and 51 million social media users. The Thai population is 71.6 million, according to the study.
Some 96.2% of Thai respondents (older than 16) make a purchase online every week, the highest rate globally. The others in the top five are South Korea, the UAE, Malaysia and China at 64%, 63.6%, 62.9% and 62.5% respectively, while the global average is 55.8%.
In terms of average online revenue of consumer goods in 2024, Thailand's e-commerce average revenue per user (ARPU) was US$1,183, lower than the global average of $1,620. The US, Italy and the Netherlands were the top three at $4,470, $3,290 and $3,190.
Some 68.3% of Thais use mobile devices for e-commerce purchases, while 31.7% use desktops.
Thailand was also among the global leaders for weekly online grocery purchases, with 45% of Thai respondents doing so, followed by South Korea at 43% and the UAE at 39%.
The global ARPU for online grocery shopping in 2024 was $450, with the US, Hong Kong and Australia among the top three at $1,740, $1,360 and $1,092. Thailand's ARPU was $188, below the global average.
Thailand's digital media subscription and download ARPU last year was $89, below the worldwide average of $93.
Regarding online ride-hailing ARPU for 2024, Thais spent $94, slightly higher than the global average at $93.5. The US, Singapore and Switzerland were the top spenders for online ride-hailing at $590, $366 and $339 respectively.
In terms of social media use, Thais spend an average of 2.23 hours daily on social media, topping the global average of 2.21 hours.
Thais were No.2 for YouTube usage at 42.1 hours per month, behind only South Korea at 43.3 hours.
On average, Thais spend 16.23 hours per month on Facebook on Android devices, less than the global average of 17.17 hours.
Thailand ranked ninth in terms of Facebook usage, with 50.9 million users.
Thailand is among the top 15 countries with the largest advertising audiences for TikTok at 34 million. The US, Indonesia and Brazil are among the top three with 135 million, 107 million and 91 million respectively.
The country also offers one of the cheapest fixed data packages at $11.60 per month, according to the survey, while ranking ninth globally for the fastest fixed internet connection speed, with a median download speed of 239 megabits per second.
Thais ranked 14th globally for consumer spending on mobile apps between September and Nov 30, 2024, at $356 million.
Thais were 10th globally for use of chat and messenger services, at 98% of internet users per month.
The report also showed 25.8% of Thai internet users are worried about how companies use their personal data online.
This is lower than the worldwide average of 29.9%. Spain, Portugal and Brazil are among the top three with 51.5%, 50.8% and 48.3% respectively.