Muslim merchant communities resided in Thailand as early as the 9th century.In early modern Thailand, Muslims from the Coromandel Coast served as eunuchs in the Thai palace and court. Thailand, as Siam, was known for religious tolerance, and there were Muslims working for the Siamese Royal Governments throughout the eras. This culture of tolerance in Siam and later Thailand resulted in the great diversity of Islam in Thailand.Malay separatism in South Thailand is mostly a war based on ethnicity, as Malays in the region have sought to separate from Thailand, although extremist Muslim groups are involved in the conflict.
Islam is a minority faith in Thailand, with statistics in 2006, suggesting 4.9% of the population are Muslim. Figures as high as 5% of Thailand’s population have also been mentioned. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey gave 7%. Thai Muslims are the largest religious minority in the country.As of 2024, there are approximately 7.5 million Thai Muslims in the Kingdom or about 12% of the total 62.5 million Thai populations. .Most Thai Muslims are Sunni Muslims, although Thailand has a diverse population that includes immigrants from around the world.Popular opinion seems to hold that a vast majority of the country’s Muslims are found in Thailand’s four southernmost provinces of Satun, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, where they make up majority of the population.
