Quick answerHat Yai is a city in Thailand, with 191,696 people inside the city limits in 2024. The wider metropolitan area had about 0.7 million people in 2024. It is best known for the Shopping and markets, the Hat Yai Junction railway station and the Kim Yong Market. Its official language is Thai, and its currency is the Thai baht.
Hat Yai is the largest city in southern Thailand, with about 192,000 people in the municipality and about 650,000 in the metropolitan area (2024). It stands near the Malaysian border and is known as a shopping city and railway hub.
Key facts
| Country | Thailand |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 191,696 (2024) |
| Population (metro) | 650,000 (2024) · Hat Yai–Songkhla metropolitan area (about 650,000) |
| Time zone | Asia/Bangkok |
| Language | Thai |
| Currency | Thai baht (THB, ฿) |
| Coordinates | 7.017° N, 100.467° E |
Overview
Hat Yai is a city in Songkhla province in southern Thailand, near the Malaysian border. The municipality covers 21 square kilometres and had 191,696 residents in 2024, while the urban area held 406,513 people and the wider Hat Yai–Songkhla metropolitan area about 650,000, the largest metropolitan area in the south. It is often mistaken for the provincial capital, but that is Songkhla, on the coast; Hat Yai is the business centre.
Hat Yai was a small village until the Southern Line railway was built through it in the 1920s, turning it into the south's main rail hub. Hat Yai Junction is still the largest railway station in southern Thailand, and the city grew as a trading post for goods from Malaysia and Singapore, which is why its markets are famous for cheap imported food, clothes and electronics.
Today Hat Yai is southern Thailand's shopping and transport hub, with Hat Yai International Airport, the fifth-busiest in the country, and bus links to Malaysia. Its landmarks include the Wat Hat Yai Nai reclining Buddha, the Kim Yong Market, the Greenway night market and the view from Khao Kho Hong, and the city is a base for trips to the islands of the Andaman Sea.
What Hat Yai is known for
- Shopping and markets
- Hat Yai Junction railway station
- Kim Yong Market
- Wat Hat Yai Nai
- Gateway to southern Thailand
- Malaysian border trade
Landmarks
- Wat Hat Yai Nai
- Kim Yong Market
- Hat Yai Junction
- Greenway Night Market
- Khao Kho Hong viewpoint
- Hat Yai Municipal Park
- CentralFestival Hatyai
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Hat Yai?
About 192,000 people live in the Hat Yai municipality (191,696 in 2024). The wider Hat Yai–Songkhla metropolitan area has about 650,000 people. That makes Hat Yai the largest city in southern Thailand and the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country.
Where is Hat Yai located?
Hat Yai is in southern Thailand, in Songkhla province, near the Malaysian border. It is the south's largest city, famous as a shopping destination and railway hub, with Hat Yai Junction the biggest station in the region. Its coordinates are 7.02° N, 100.47° E.
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Keep exploring
- Thailand — the country Hat Yai is in
- Bangkok — another city in Thailand
- Chiang Mai — another city in Thailand
- Nakhon Ratchasima — another city in Thailand
- All cities in Thailand
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.