Thailand is also considered a "diversified exporter- in a variety of industries, such as tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing (jewelry), electric appliances and components, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, and plastics. In addition, Thailand is the second-largest tungsten producer and the third-largest tin producer in the world (Factbook, 7). Although Thailand has a surplus in its exports, under the World Bank's classifications, Thailand is also considered moderately indebted because of its $80 billion (1999 est.) external debt.
In terms of industrialization level, The World Bank considers Thailand a "developing- country even though the manufacturing sector has doubled as a percentage of GDP from 14 percent in 1963 to 28 percent in 1996. While Thailand has passed two out of the three "tests- of industrialization; it remains a developing country because not at least 10 percent of its workforces are employed in industry as required by the Sutchiffe's test number three (Thomas, 16).
Regarding Thailand's social development, the World Bank reported the estimated population for July 2000 as 61,230,874 with an annual growth rate of .93 percent. The majority of Thai lives in rural areas with only 20.3 percent living in urban cities. The fertility rate per woman in Thailand was 1.9 children as of 1996 data. With over 60 million people scattered all over the country, Thailand has 10.2 percent of its urban and 15.5 percent rural population living in poverty. Public expenditure for health care is only 1.4 percent of GDP and education is a little better at 3.8 percent of GNP. Social security and welfare equaled a miserable 0.6 percent of GDP. Despite the low education funding, 93.8 percent of population age 15 and over can read and write. Access to safe water for the population is 89 percent for urban dwellers and only 72 percent for rural residences.