The people of Thailand are called Thai. There are more than 30 ethnic groups, each with its own history, language, religion, appearance, and patterns of livelihood. The Thai, related to the Lao of Laos and the Shan of Myanmar (formerly Burma) make up about 84 percent of the total population of Thailand.
Major ethnic minorities are the Chinese (about 11 percent) and Malays (about 4 percent).