Sukhothai (, ) is a province in lower northern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phrae, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, Tak, and Lampang. Sukhothai is located in the Yom river basin which has served as an important lifeline of the region since antiquity. The ruins of the historical cities of Sukhothai; its capital, and Si Satchanalai; its important city to the north, make up the group of monuments registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There has been evidence of human settlement in the area dating back to the later Iron Age. The ancient city of Sukhothai can be traced back to the 12th century around the same period as the reign of Jayavarman VII, before King Si Inthrathit founded the namesake kingdom, making the city its capital.
Rice production makes up majority of the province's economy, followed by sugarcane, durian, and tangerine productions. The province is considered a "minor tourist destination", receiving more than a million visitors in 2024,
Etymology
The modern-day province of Sukhothai was named after the Sukhothai Kingdom, which its capital city of the same name is located in the province. The kingdom's name comes from Sanskrit sukha ( 'happiness') + udaya ( 'rise', 'emergence'), meaning 'dawn of happiness'.
History
thumb|left|[[Prang (architecture)|Prang of Wat Phra Phai Luang]]
Earliest evidence of human settlement in modern-day Sukhothai province can be dated back to the late Iron Age with iron smelting as a main drive. He also laid the foundation for politics, the monarchy and religion, as well as expanding its circle of influence. Sukhothai was later ruled by many kings. The province is most known for the historic city of Sukhothai, the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom. It is about 12 km from the modern New Sukhothai city. Not far from Sukhothai are the Si Satchanalai Historical Park and the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park. Both were cities in the former Sukhothai kingdom and at the same time period.
Sukhothai Kingdom was merged into Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1438.
The province was at first known as Sawankhalok; it was renamed to Sukhothai in 1939.
Geography
thumb|left|The [[Yom River as it flows through the town centre of Si Samrong district]]
Sukhothai is located in lower Northern Thailand and shares its borders with; clockwise from north, Phrae, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, and Lampang. The provincial capital, Sukhothai Thani is north of Bangkok and south of Chiang Mai. The province covers and the total forest area is or 29.6 percent of provincial area. The highest point is Khao Luang range in the Ramkhamhaeng National Park at approximately 1,200 meters above sea level. The range has four main peaks: Khao Phu Kha, Khao Phra Mae Ya, Khao Chedi, and Pha Narai.
Most of the province lies within the basin of the Yom, its main river, while some eastern parts of Si Satchanalai and Si Nakhon belong to the Nan basin. Many canals and streams arise from the Yom supplying most of the province, the majority of which are on the west bank of the river. The most important of which include the Mae Ramphan, Sarabop, Sam Phuang, and Mae Rak. The two national parks saw 22,767 and 13,617 visitors respectively in 2024. Tham Chao Ram Wildlife Sanctuary, comprising , is the province's only wildlife sanctuary.
Demographics
Per 2020 census, Sukhothai province has a population of 587,883; consisting of 284,949 male and 302,934 female. Mueang is the biggest district making up approximately 17.5% of the population, while Si Nakhon is the least populous district comprising approximately 4% of the province. Per a 2025 report, 460 Thai citizens from Sukhothai province are working or have applied for a working visa abroad. The majority of which, 211, are in Taiwan.
In 2016, approximately 2,300 inhabitants are registered ethnic minorities, consisting of Hmong (33.9%), Karen (33.6%), Mien (27.5%), and Lisu (4.9%). All of them reside in Si Satchanalai district
Economy
thumb|Rice fields in [[Mueang Bang Khlang, Sawankhalok district]]
The Gross Provincial Product (GPP) as of 2022 valued at THB 53,021 million. Majority of Sukhothai province's economy is made up of agriculture sector at 50% of its GPP, following by service sector at 42%. Rice production is the most important part of its economy, valued at more than THB 7,000 million, followed by sugarcane production at over THB 3,200 million, durians at THB 828 million, and tangerines at THB 825 million as of 2020-2021. Nam Oi Nuek is a local stye of brown sugar still produced in small scale in Ko Ta Liang, Si Samrong district. The production is labour-intensive and takes 5 months to make, making it a disappearing craft of the province.
Bananas are also considered an important economic crop of Sukhothai province with over 7,000 rai of Thai banana plantation throughout the province. The number is also on the rise. Nong Tum in Kong Krailat district is home to one of Thailand's biggest centers of banana processing, where its cooperative enterprise founded in 1996 generating more than THB 1 billion in 2021 from processed banana products. The biggest plantain plantation is located in Khlong Krachong, Sawankhalok district making up more than 7,000 rai. The locale is noted for its cooperative enterprise, manufacturing of container products from plantain leaves, exporting both domestically and internationally.
thumb|Farmers drying rice paddy after harvest in March, at a temple in [[Kong Krailat district]]
Fishery makes up another important part of the province's economy with over 5,000 tonnes of fish caught in 2022.
Sukhothai is home to the regional factory and office for lower Northern Thailand of the state enterprise Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand, located in Si Nakhon district. Dairy farming in the province began in 1995, however it faced a decline beginning in 2003 with 66 dairy farms remaining as of 2010.
18 products from Sukhothai province are listed OTOP. In the same year, Sukhothai province received 1,043,697 visitors; more than 90% of which are Thai nationals. The number has yet to resume to its peak 1.5 million visitors in 2019; since when the percentage of foreign visitors had also not resumed to its pre-2019 level of more than 27% of all visitors to the province.
In the country's tourism, Sukhothai is considered one of the "minor destinations". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) noted the province for its two historical parks (Sukhothai Historical Park and Si Satchanalai Historical Park), the preserved old town centre of Sawankhalok, as well as its many centres displaying the rich craftsmanship tradition including Sangkhalok ceramic ware, traditional pa tin chok weaving and pha mak khlon ("mud-fermented cloth") dyeing Si Satchanalai district. TAT also recommends two dishes; kuai tiao sukhothai (Sukhothai noodles), and khao poep; both unique to the province.
Loy Krathong is an annual festival celebrated all over the country with history dating back to the Sukhothai Kingdom, hence it is one of the province's most important event of the year. Sukhothai Historical Park hosts the event yearly with more than 50,000 visitors in a day and accumulated over 300,000 visitors across multiple days of the celebration in 2025.
Administrative divisions
thumb|right|Map of nine districts
Provincial government
The province is divided into nine districts (amphoes). These are further divided into 86 subdistricts (tambons) and 782 villages (mubans).
- Mueang Sukhothai
- Ban Dan Lan Hoi
- Khiri Mat
- Kong Krailat
- Si Satchanalai
- Si Samrong
- Sawankhalok
- Si Nakhon
- Thung Saliam
Local government
As of 26 November 2019 there are: one Sukhothai Provincial Administration Organisation (') and 21 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Sukhothai, Sawankhalok and Si Satchanalai have town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 18 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 69 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).
Culture
Symbols
The provincial seal features King Ram Khamhaeng the Great sitting on the Managkhasila Asana throne. Ram Khamhaeng was the third king of Sukhothai Kingdom during his rule, he introduced Lai Sue Thai as the Thai's first writing system, and adopted Theravada Buddhism as the national religion.
The provincial tree is Afzelia xylocarpa. The provincial flower is the Lotus (Nymphaea lotus). The provincial aquatic life is the ghost shetfish (Kryptopterus vitreolus) according to local legend about Phra Ruang, the one with sacred speech.
The provincial slogan is "Amazing world heritages, origin of Lai Sue Thai, Loy Krathong fireworks, preserve Buddhism, beautiful Tin Chok cloth, ancient gold Sangkhalok, worship Mae Ya - Pho Khun, the dawn of happiness".
Religions
As of 2014, 99.8% of the population practiced Buddhism, followed by Christianity at 0.2%. Sukhothai has a total of 385 registered wat (temples) in 2022, with Si Satchanalai district containing the biggest number at 69 temples. Four temples are granted royal status (phra aram luang) as of 2014; , (Sawankhalok district), Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat (Si Satchanalai district), and (Si Nakhon district).
Islam is a minority religion in Sukhothai. As-habul Jannah Mosque in Si Samrong district is the first mosque in Sukhothai province, opened in 2012.
Phra Mae Ya () or Mae Ya () is a local Tai-folk female deity worshipped by the people of Sukhothai province. Her idol was originally discovered at a cave in Khiri Mat district, and was since moved to its present-day shrine in Sukhothai Thani. The deity is regarded as "the greatest spirit of all spirits" in Sukhothai and has been worshipped since the Sukhothai Kingdom era, being considered the province's guardian deity. She was assumed to be the spirit of Nang Sueang, the mother of King Ram Khamhaeng.
Languages
Sukhothai dialect is a dialect of Thai. The language has been spoken since the formation of the Sukhothai Kingdom, some 700 years ago. It is distinct from central (Bangkok) Thai in both tone and vocabulary and is thought to be similar to proto-Tai in tone structure, an ancestor to the modern Thai language. Sukhothai dialect shares its phonology with standard Thai, except for its tonal system. Sukhothai has the low tone and rising tone swapped.
Northern Thai language or Kham Mueang is spoken primarily in the western mountainous region of the province, while the northern mountainous region has Kham Mueang spoken interchangeably with Thai. The border between speakers of Thai and Kham Mueang is placed at between Si Samrong district and Thung Saliam district, and in the northern part of Si Satchanalai district. Northeastern Thai or Isan is spoken in some areas of Hat Siao in Si Satchanalai district and Khlong Maphlap in Si Nakhon district.
Infrastructure
Transport
thumb|[[Sawankhalok railway station]]
There are five highways traversing Sukhothai:
- Highway 12 connects the eastern districts starting at Ban Dan Lan Hoi and passing Muang and Kong Krailat districts to Phitsanulok province.
- Highway 101, starting at Si Satchanalai District, connects the northern districts to the southern districts and passing Sawankhalok, Si Samrong, Muang and Khiri Mat Districts to Kamphaeng Phet province.
- Highway 102 connects Si Satchanalai District to Uttaradit province.
- Highway 1180 connects Sawankhalok District to Si Nakhon District and Uttaradit province.
- Highway 1048 connects Sawankhalok District to Thung Saliam District and Lampang province.
Opened in 1996, Sukhothai Airport in Sawankhalok district serves the province. It is privately owned by Bangkok Airways who maintains the monopoly status operating flights in and out of the airport with Bangkok being its only destination.
Sukhothai province is served by Sawankhalok Line, a branch line splitting from the Chiang Mai Main Line at Ban Dara Junction. The province is home to two stations; Khlong Maphlap (Si Nakhon district), and Sawankhalok (Sawankhalok district), where the line terminates. The line was established in 1909 by the order of King Chulalongkorn in order to connect the city of Sawankhalok to the rail system.
As of 2026, the state enterprise, , runs routes from Bangkok to Mueang and Sawankhalok. Win Tour is a local bus company that runs bus routes between more locations in the province to Bangkok, Phitsanulok, and Chiang Mai.
Healthcare
Sukhothai province has two main general hospitals; (Mueang district), and (Si Samrong district) with the latter being the province's first hospital, founded by a Buddhist monk in 1948. The two hospitals serve as referral nodes, responsible for each half of the province's 9 districts. In total, Sukhothai province has 12 hospitals as of 2014. 9 of which are public hospitals; one in each district, and 3 are private. Together more than 1,200 healthcare providers and 900 beds were available.
Human achievement index 2022
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="width:400px;"
|-
| style="text-align:center; width:100px; background:black; color:white;"| Health
| style="text-align:center; width:100px; background:black; color:white;"| Education
| style="text-align:center; width:100px; background:black; color:white;"| Employment
| style="text-align:center; width:100px; background:black; color:white;"| Income
|-
| 95px
| 100px
| 100px
| 100px
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 53
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 49
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 74
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 44
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| Housing
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| Family
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| Transport
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| Participation
|-
| style="height:100px;"| 100px
| center|85px
| 100px
| 90px
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 32
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 47
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 49
| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 21
|-
| colspan="4"; style="background:black; color:white;"| Province Sukhothai, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6292 is "somewhat low", occupies place 55 in the ranking.
|}
Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.